Unexpected
by gotalife
Summary: Alexandria Irbane is the fourth in the infamous trio of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. But, her life is about to take some unexpected twists as they enter their sixth year.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

**This chapter is dedicated to TheEvilSandwich, because they are the one that got me to _finally _post this story! I've been really excited to show this to the world, I hope you all like it! And, please review! The next chapter should be posted soon.**

**gotalife**

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_First Year_

I was sitting in a compartment by myself- feeling small and somewhat insignificant, on the giant Hogwarts Express, as a tiny first year- reflecting back to saying goodbye to my mother for the first time, I- as usual- hadn't seen my father. My mother, Jane Irbane, had been trying not to let the tears run down her cheeks as she kissed me goodbye and gave me my trunk and Coal, my slender black tomcat, as I boarded the train.

"Bye mum!"

"Bye sweetie!" she called after me, "Write everyday! Stay _out _of trouble!"

"I can't promise you that. And don't you dare enlist _his _help!" I get into trouble constantly for pulling pranks and just being plain "boyish", and I suspected she would enlist the help of my father to try and keep "trouble" out of my system- as if _that _was going to happen.

"Sweetie, I doubt it. Just promise to write me. I love you!" She said as train's last boarding whistle sounded.

"Love you too, mum! Bye!"

I walk towards the giant metal monster, and put my foots on the steps, in front of me is a girl with extremely bushy brown hair. She turns to me, smiles, and says, "Hi. I'm Hermione Granger. Are you a first year?" she pauses for a second and I nod, "I'm a first year too," she smiles sweetly, turns and proceeds to board the train.

I board the train after her, and head for the first empty compartment I can find. I put my trunk on the trunk shelf above my head and put Coal down on the floor- closing the door carefully behind me. My thoughts go back to the absence of my father at the train station. _You idiot, _I tell myself, _Why in the world would he want to be seen talking to you? Or even at the station? _I hadn't really been expecting to see him at the station, but I _knew _I would see him a Hogwarts, you see, my father is Severus Snape. The most hated teacher at Hogwarts, but, I don't tell people that.

_Thump! Thump!_ I was brought back to the present by the loud thumping of the compartment door opening- two boys were standing at the door, one with green eyes, pale skin, and messy black hair; the other with red hair, equally pale skin, and blue eyes.

"Uh... Excuse us, do you mind if we sit in here?" the red-head asks politely, "All the other compartments are full."

"Um. Yeah no problem." They come in and put their trunks on the shelves above our heads, then sit down across from me.

"I'm Ron," the redhead says, "Ron Weasley."

"And, I'm Harry Potter," the green-eyed one contributes.

At first, I'm shocked to be in a compartment with _the _Harry Potter, but I get over it quickly, "Hi, I'm Alexandria Irbane. But, I go by Andi."

"Hi Andi, nice to meet you," Harry says politely. After that, there is an awkward silence so I pull a face, and both boys start laughing.

"Nice one," Ron says.

"Are you the Harry Potter everyone likes to talk about?" I ask, overcome by my curiosity.

He runs his hand through his hair, "Uh... yeah. I guess I am."

"Hah, seriously? That's cool," I say, acting like it was normal to be in his presence. I don't think he knows this, but, my parents both knew his; but, of course, they had different experiences with each other. I didn't think to mention this little fact though.

"Wow," he says, surprised.

"What?" I ask dumbly.

"That was the most calm reaction I've had since I came into the wizarding world." He looks pointedly at Ron, who shrugs,

"Oh really? Well, I've already met someone who knew your parents. So, I have the 'info' I need," I say slyly.

"Who do you know that knew them?"

"My uncle told me about them, and my parents knew them too."

"Cool," Ron says quickly inputting himself into the conversation.

A loud squeaking comes from the candy trolley outside the door, the 'candy lady' stops outside our door and knocks twice.

"Anything off the cart, dears?" The dimpled trolley cart woman says cheerily as she slides the door open.

Harry jumps up, but Ron's ears go pink and he mumbles something about bringing sandwiches, I just stay quiet.

Harry buys at least one of everything, and brings it all back in, laying it on the seat he and Ron are sharing.

"Hungry, are we?" Ron asks.

"Starving," he answers as he takes a bite out of a pumpkin pasty.

"You can both have some... If you want," he offers, waving a hand over the pile of sweets. I lean over and take a chocolate frog from his pile and Ron takes a pasty as well.

We sit discussing the treats and what they are with Harry, until Ron decides to turn his rat, Scabbers, yellow.

"_Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,_

_Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."_

He waved his wand, but nothing happened, Scabbers just lay there fast asleep.

"You sure that's a real spell?" We all look toward the door, "Not very good, is it?" The bushy haired Hermione is standing in the doorway of our compartment.

"Have you seen Neville's toad?" she asks before continuing- we all shake our heads. In all honesty, I had seen it, but I don't know where it was currently.

She talks for a while longer about spells she has tried, and then, introduces herself.

"- I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

Both of the boys look stunned, as if they _hadn't _memorized all of the spells from all of our books- like Hermione had. _Just kidding! _I haven't either.

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron mutters.

"Andi Irbane," I add.

"Harry Potter."

"Are you really? I know all about you, of course- I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History _and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts _and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_."

"I am," Harry says, looking a little dazed, as if he'll die of embarrassment if she bursts into giggles- as, I'm sure, many other girls will do in the not-so-distant future.

"Goodness, didn't you know? I'd have found out everything I could if it was me. Do any of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around and, by far, Gryffindor sounds the best. You should probably get changed now, I expect we'll be there soon." She turns and leaves with Neville- the toadless boy.

We talk for a while before pulling on our robes- right before the train screeches to a halt at the train station in Hogwarts. We get off the train and our trunks are taken from us to be transported separately to the castle, we get to ride in boats! I step into a boat with Harry and Ron and, twenty minutes later, we are standing in front of the gates to the castle: mouths open, eyes wide. I am a little further away from the castle when I hear footsteps coming from behind me.

"Yeah, looks pretty dull from out here, huh?" I turn and find a pale skinned, white-blond haired, and grey-blue eyed boy standing before me.

"Well, if that's how you see it, I can't imagine that you see very well at all," I say somewhat obnoxiously.

"I see just fine," the boy says, his eyes hardening to grey a little bit.

"Yeah, so you're just a prick."

He looks a little taken aback, but continues nonetheless, "What house do you think you'll be in? I'm going to be in Slytherin, my entire family has been in Slytherin."

"Well, I can't say the same," I say, thinking of my dad.

"Has your family been in Slytherin? Mine has _always _been in Slytherin," he says a little arrogantly.

"As far as I know, only a few have been in Slytherin."

"Well, maybe I'll see you there," he puts out his hand for me to shake it. _Who does this kid think he is?_ I think angrily, but I put on a polite face and shake his hand.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, by the way."

"Andi," I say quickly before walking over to Harry and Ron and into the castle.

Inside, Professor McGonagall stopped us outside of the door to the great hall, told us she would be back when they were ready for us, and left all of the first years standing impatiently outside the giant doors.

Several students scream behind us and Harry jumps forward, "What the-" he says, turning.

About twenty pearly white and slightly transparent ghosts stream through the back wall, talking to each other. They pass, saying they hope to see us in their houses.

"Is it true?" A voice comes from one side of the large groups of students and makes its way over to us, "They're saying that Harry Potter is here. So it's you is it?" he says as he- the blond-white haired, Draco Malfoy- reaches us, two boys at his side, as if his body guards.

"Yes," Harry answers.

"Well, this is Crabbe and Goyle," he motions quickly to the boys on either side of him, "And I am Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron coughs.

"Think my names funny, do you, _Weasley_. My father told me all about you Weasleys, red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." He turns back to Harry.

"You'll find that some wizarding families are much better than others. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

He holds out his hand for Harry, but Harry doesn't take it, "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thank you," he says coolly.

"You better be careful, Potter. Or you'll end up like your parents."

All three of us stand a little taller, I step forward, "Get out of here, _prat_."

He looks at me surprised, "We can choose our mates," Harry repeats.

"Okay, students," the voice of McGonagall comes in over the voices of the crowd, we turn to face her, "We are ready for you. Now form a line, and follow me."

I get in line behind Ron, who's behind Harry and we follow behind her. She leads us up to the front of the great hall. I try not to look in the direction I'm sure Dumbledore and my father are sitting. McGonagall stops us when we are all in the front, and places a four-legged stool in front of us first years, and, on top of that, a pointed wizard's hat.

A rip near the rim opened and the hat began to sing:

_Oh you may not think me pretty, _

_But don't judge on what you see, _

_I'll eat myself if you can find _

_A smarter hat than me. _

_You can keep your bowlers black, _

_Your top hats sleek and tall, _

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat _

_And I can cap them all. _

_There's nothing hidden in your head _

_The Sorting Hat can't see, _

_So try me on and I will tell you _

_Where you ought to be. _

_You might belong in Gryffindor, _

_Where dwell the brave at heart, _

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry _

_Set Gryffindors apart; _

_You might belong in Hufflepuff, _

_Where they are just and loyal, _

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true _

_And unafraid of toil; _

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, _

_if you've a ready mind, _

_Where those of wit and learning, _

_Will always find their kind; _

_Or perhaps in Slytherin _

_You'll make your real friends, _

_Those cunning folks use any means _

_To achieve their ends. _

_So put me on! Don't be afraid! _

_And don't get in a flap! _

_You're in safe hands (though I have none) _

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finishes its song. As soon as the applause had died down enough for her to be heard, McGonagall started calling names in alphabetical order:

"Abbott, Hannah."

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat yells after a moments consideration.

McGonagall called out names, and I tuned out until she got to "G", and the bushy-haired Hermione Granger is called forward.

"Granger, Hermione," McGonagall calls. Hermione basically runs up to the stool and places the hat hastily on her head with excitement.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Ron groans as the hat calls out the house name.

After a few names, mine is called.

"Irbane, Alexandria," McGonagall calls, my eyes travel warily to where Professor Snape is sitting, his face is placid- as if it was just some normal-not-at-all-out-of-the-ordinary name, that meant nothing to him, being called.

Ron pats me on the shoulder and says "Good luck. Hope to see you down there."

I walk warily to the stool, placing the hat gingerly on the top of my head.

"Where to put you?" It talks quietly down to me.

"You have the courage of Gryffindor," I think of my mother, "Family too, I see."

"But, you could do great deeds in Slytherin," my thoughts drag over to where the man sits, eyes averted, "Family there as well, huh?"

It thinks for a moment before yelling, "GRYFFINDOR!"


	2. Chapter One

**Hey guys, I'm back. Thank you all for your favorites and follows and reviews and, overall, just reading it! Thank you, thank you! **

**For some reason I keep imagining Andi with sandy-brown hair as I write this- but, I'm wrong! Her hair is _black_!**

**I hope you all enjoy!**

**- gotalife**

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Chapter One

So, here I sit again, five years after that first night. On the train to Hogwarts once more. But, this time, instead of being alone in my compartment, I am sitting here with my three best friends: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. At the moment, we are playing exploding snap and Hermione has just gotten black dust sprayed all over her robes.

I start laughing.

"Hey! It's not funny, Andi! Now I'm going to have to see the new first years- in _this_!" She says, trying to hold in her giggles.

Harry and Ron start to laugh as well.

"I bet they'll be so happy to see that we Gryffindors can have such a good time!" I defend the sootiness of her robes, "Speaking of which!" I stand up hastily, Coal dropping clumsily to the floor with a hiss.

"See you later, Andi," they all say, realizing that I have some 'work' to do.

"Okay! Harry, if trolley lady comes by, you know what to get!" I point to him as I run out the door.

I run down the hallways of the train to the compartment I knew he'd be in. I pull the dungbomb out of my pocket when I near the compartment, taking care not to get my hands too dirty.

When I look through the glass of the door, I can see that Draco Malfoy is immersed in conversation with Crabbe and Goyle, his, somewhat loyal, sidekicks. I quietly slide the door open, Crabbe and Goyle are being too loud to notice the door, but Malfoy just so happens to be glancing at the door as I hurl the stink bomb right at him- an evil grin lurking on my face.

He ducks and it smacks Goyle on the side of the head. I see this and, laughing, turn and run down the corridor. The door bangs open behind me and Malfoy comes running out- no goons with him. I run, he runs. And, right as I reach the door to the next hallway, fumbling to unlatch the door to open it, he grabs my arm and yanks me towards him.

"Get off me, Malfoy!" I tug on my arm, but he keeps his hold on it.

"I could give you a detention for this, you know! And, we haven't even reached Hogwarts yet! What would Dumbledore think?" He smirks.

I laugh in his face, "As if I would listen to you! You're only a perfect!"

He looks a little surprised but continues, "Dumbledore is giving us more power this year! You'll see!"

He lets go of my arm and walks back along the corridor. _What the hell? _I think, confused, _Dumbledore wouldn't do that!_

"Oh great! Now I have his stink all over me!" I pout- mostly to myself- and turn to head back to my compartment and ask Hermione about what he had said.

I push open the door, "Maybe you wanna open the windows or something. Malfoy got to me before I made it into this hallway," I say, sitting down with a huff near the window. Coal makes a point of walking over to Hermione- where it doesn't smell, while Ron opens the window.

"That's so unlike you, you always make the escape," Harry smirks.

"I wanted to stay and watch them get hit... And, on my way out, the door latch was stuck."

Harry and Ron start to laugh.

"Hey Mione, Malfoy told me that perfects have more authority this year- because of Dumbledore. That true?" Harry and Ron stop laughing and stare at Hermione, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, he gave us more 'power', so to speak. Now students actually have to listen to us. He thinks that just having the Head Girl and Boy have the power to give serious detentions isn't a good idea. So, we get more power. I guess. He's going to announce it tonight."

"Oh great! Now I actually have to listen to Malfoy?" I ask to make sure.

"Unfortunately."

"Oh great."

Hermione takes out her book, _Hogwarts: A History_- again, and starts reading, while Ron moves across from her to read his book, _Quidditch Through the Ages_, and starts reading. Leaving me and Harry to stare out the window. I glance over at him and notice that he changed a bit over the summer, a change I hadn't noticed much before. For one, he is taller, and his hair is longer. But, he has dark circles under his eyes and doesn't look like he's slept at all since... Well, hell, I wouldn't sleep either if my only family had been killed last year.

Other than that, his appearance is as it always has been, the way people think we're related...

People always joke around, saying I look like Harry Potter- the Chosen One _and _one of my best friends- because I have similarly pale skin, bright green-blue eyes, and long, messy black hair. He also has pale skin, bright green eyes, and messy black hair. We can never really see the resemblance, but everyone always say we look like twins. Us being related would not make _any _sense. Not only that but, his parents are, well, they're dead; and mine are very much alive. In fact, my dad works at Hogwarts- of course, only a few select people know that, _not _including my best friends- which I feel bad about, I really do.

We sit in silence for about fifteen minutes before Hermione closes her book and says, "Well, I have to go help first years, you too Ron. I'll see you inside, 'ey?" Ron stands and pulls on his robes.

"Yeah see you then, Mione. See ya, Ron," I say quietly, my thoughts focused on the all too familiar surroundings of the Hogwarts castle. Ron gets up, steps out of the door, and waits for Hermione so they can go meet some of the other perfect to help the tiny first years.

"You two should get changed now," she says before sliding the door shut behind her and following Ron down the hall.

Harry gets up to change, but sits after a moments hesitation. I sit for a few more minutes- until I can actually see the platform from the window, then I stand and slip on my uniform robes.

"You gonna change, Harry?"

"Not yet," he says a little distracted.

Five short minutes later, the train is once again screeching to a halt at the Hogwarts platform.

"Umm, Andi, I gotta go do something. I'll see you in the hall, okay?"

I'm confused at first, but just nod, "Okay Harry. See you then." I pick up my trunk and Coal and step off the train, putting them with everyone elses on a cart to the castle.

"See ya later, Coal." I smile down at the little black cat, but he hisses back- he hates the ride up to the castle.

I catch a ride on one of the thestral drawn carts. Yes, I can see thestrals, I was there last year with Harry, and the rest of Dumbledore's Army, when Sirius died.

When my cart arrives at the castle, I disembark and head into the great hall for announcements, house sorting, and- my personal favorite- the feast.

I head over to the Gryffindor table and take a seat next to Seamus Finnigan.

"Hey Andi, how was your summer?" he greets me in his Irish accent.

I laugh a little- I don't know why, but, it always makes me laugh at the beginning of the year.

"Oh, you know, stayed home with mum. But, this year, I did get a chance to visit my uncle's friend Calypso- she gave me some new pranks!" I say excitedly.

He looks a little nervous as he says, "Okay, sounds fun. Just don't use them on us," he makes a sweeping motion indicating the Gryffindors.

"Oh, don't worry, Seamus! I have a very _special _person in mind for them," I say sneakily, glancing over towards the Slytherin table, where Malfoy is looking particularly smug, considering his entire compartment was hit by my dungbomb.

He follows my gaze, "Perfects are getting more power this year, you know."

"Yeah, I heard," I say in a huff, "Not as if he'll actually give me any detentions, though."

"I don't know about that. He's quite the power hoarder." He smiles, knowing that I'll do anything I want anyway. For detentions, I am second _only _to the Weasley twins, I have picked up a few tricks from them though. In general, like most of my friends, most of my detentions come from Snape- yes, I call my own father by his last name. That actually started when I was little, it's the only name I've ever called him.

I smile back to him, trying to ignore the new urge to look up at Snape, and the feeling of worry that was starting to creep into my stomach because of Harry's continued absence.

"You seen Harry?" I ask Seamus, more worry in my voice than I had been expecting.

"No, not yet. But, I'm sure he'll get here soon," he says noticing what I'm sure was a worried look on my face.

Ron and Hermione come over to the table, Hermione sitting across from me, Ron next to me.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asks as he sits.

"Dunno."

Suddenly, I notice the points in the house cup detracting: fifty points down... and another twenty a second later. I elbow Ron, "Look," I say pointing up carefully. Both he and Hermione turn to look at the house cups.

"That can't be good," Ron says grimly. I finally take a second to look over to where Snape should be sitting, he isn't there. I point over to his empty seat as well.

"Do you suppose it's his fault?" I ask.

"Probably."

"Attention students," the all-too-familiar voice of McGonagall speaks up above the noise of talking students. Most of us turn our attention to her- I don't, I listen, staring at the table hoping for food to appear.

She starts calling off names, starting with the 'A's.

Soon, the feast is on the tables, looking just as delicious as it does every year. We start eating, shoveling everything into our mouths, then going for seconds.

About halfway through the feast, the doors open and Harry comes walking- almost running- over to our table, dried blood all over his face. He sees us and speeds up.

"Where've you- blimey, what've you done to your face?" Ron asks, goggling at the blood along with everyone else.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" Harry says, grabbing a spoon to look at his reflection.

"You're covered in blood!" Hermione says before grabbing her wand and flicking it at his face, _"Tergeo!"_

"Thanks," he says, setting down the spoon, "How's my nose looking?"

"Normal," she answers, "Why wouldn't it? What happened?"

"Or, more importantly, _who _happened?" I ask staring across the room to Malfoy. Our eyes meet and he smirks, "Malfoy!" I say angrily to myself. I'll have to get him back for this later...

"I'll tell you later," Harry says curtly, as Dumbledore stands and walks over to his pedestal.

"You missed the sorting," I say jealous.

"Hat say anything interesting?"

"Not really, just the norm, I guess."

We turn to Dumbledore as he taps on his glass and calls for quiet.

"The very best of evenings to you!" he says cheerily, "To our new students: welcome! And, t our old students: welcome back! A wonderful year of magical education awaits you!"

"Yeah, a magical year filled with pranks and detentions when I get caught!" I say, adding, "Which I won't," for good measure. Harry and Ron crack up, but Hermione ignores me and continues listening to Dumbledore.

He continues, saying Filch's yearly 'no Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes joke items'- _as if!_- and to put your name on a list if you want to play on your house's Quidditch team.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member to our staff this year. Professor Slughorn is an old colleague of mine that has agreed to return to his old post as Potions master." He stands and takes a bow.

"Potions?" the word echoes around the hall.

"Potions?" Ron, Hermione, and I say together, "But, Harry, you said-"

"Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"No!" Harry says loud enough to turn heads in his direction.

"But, you said-"

"I know! I thought Slughorn was taking that!"

I look up to where Snape is sitting with a smug look of triumph on his face. He, as usual, has ignored my presence all throughout the feast.

"Crap..." I think outloud.

Harry turns to me, "Yeah. _Crap_!"

Dumbledore continues talking about how Lord Voldemort is now at large, and it is a more dangerous world again, and to abide by security restrictions. At last, he got to the part I had been waiting for, proof, "Some of you may have heard that this year there has been a change in the power allocated to students who are either perfects or Head Boy or Girl. The change we have set up is the ability for perfects to give detentions. From this time forward, all students must treat detentions given by perfects the same as those given by Head Boy or Girl or any of your teachers. But now, your beds await! Warm and comfortable! Let us therefore say good night, pip pip!" He says finishing with a clap of his hands.

"Are any of us taking Hagrid's class this year?" Ron asks.

"No," Harry says looking a little guilty.

"No," I repeat.

"Hermione?"

She shakes her head, "No."

"I wonder what he'll say when he finds out we're not taking it this year," Harry says.


	3. Chapter Two

**Hey everybody! This has attracted SO many views, it's amazing! Thank you all so much! Here is another chapter! Hope you all enjoy!**

**gotalife**

**p.s. I still don't know exactly what the update schedule will be.**

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Chapter Two

The next morning, Hermione and I walk down the stairs from the girl's dormitories to find Harry and Ron waiting for us.

"Mornin' Harry," I say sleepily, rubbing my eyes.

I sit down on the couch and close my eyes.

"Hey Andi. So I know you wanted to know what happened yesterday."

I open my eyes and look over at Harry, "What happened then?"

"Well, I went in with my cloak on and they were talking about Malfoy moving on to 'bigger and better' things... for _him_... He said it was a job he didn't have to be 'qualified' for. I'm not sure if he's marked yet though."

"Well, if he doesn't have to be _qualified _I don't think he'd be marked. But, you never know with things like this," as I stop talking I notice that they have stopped talking and are looking at me with confused expressions on their faces.

"Wha-" Ron starts, but I interrupt him.

"Guys... you know me, I do what I want. I've read a few books, that's it."

Hermione looks disappointed, "You haven't been in the restricted section again, have you? You're not supposed to go in there without permission!"

"As if it's necessary to ask permission to read a bloody book," I huff.

Ron notices a tiny first year pointing Harry out to his friends, "It's rude to point!" He snaps. And, when the boy turns and scrambles out of the portrait hole, he sniggers.

"I love being a sixth year. _And_, we're going to be getting free time this year. Whole periods when we can just sit up here and relax," he says wistfully.

"Those periods should be used for _studying, _Ron!" Hermione says, then she notices a boy holding a Fanged Frisbee- and, as a _perfect_, she just has to say, "Hold it! Fanged Frisbees are banned, hand it over!" the now-scowling boy hands it to her outstretched arm.

"Perfect, I've always wanted one of these!" Ron says reaching for it.

And, as he says this, a loud giggling erupts from Lavender Brown, sitting on the opposite end of the common room.

I ignore this, "Ron, if you wanted one of those, why not just ask your brother's?" I ask, reaching out for the Fanged Frisbee, taking it from him, and putting it carefully in my bag for later use.

"Because, other than for you, they don't give anything away for free."

I smile, "Breakfast anyone?"

"Sure, I'm starving!" Ron jumps to his feet, this constitutes as grounds for another eruption of giggles from Lavender.

He semi-ignores her, but his cheeks turn a little shade of red, and heads to the portrait with us following behind.

By the time we get to the great hall for breakfast, McGonagall is going around the Gryffindor table handing out schedules- and for sixth years, also, our O.W.L. exam scores.

She hands Hermione her papers first, then moves on. Hermione runs off, quickly saying goodbye, to her first period Ancient Runes class.

"Boy, I'm glad I don't have that..." Ron says, as he waits for his papers.

McGonagall comes by and hands me mine, stopping for a moment to make sure I actually read it this year, "I'll be fine," I mumble.

"Speak louder," she demands, "Or people will always think you're crazy."

As she walks away I mumble once again, "Perhaps that's you..." I open the O.W.L. score sheet first.

_Charms E_

_Transfiguration O_

_Herbology A_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts O_

_Potions E_

_Astronomy A_

_Care of Magical Creatures A_

_History of Magic D_

_Divination P_

I stare for a moment, somewhat amused, at my score sheet. _I guess I know what classes I'm dropping._

"Now, Miss Irbane, are you planning on continuing my class?" I nod, "Very well, Potions and Defense?" I nod again, "Charms?" I nod, "Astronomy and Herbology?" I take a second to think about dropping Herbology.

"Do I have to take Herbology?" I ask her incredulously.

"It may be in your best interest."

"But, do I _have_ to?"

She sighs before shaking her head, "No, you don't, Miss Irbane."

"I don't want to take it then."

"Okay," she sighs again as she taps on an empty schedule with her wand and my new schedule appears.

I unfold the second piece of paper with my schedule on it.

I look over it quickly and goggle at the number of free periods I have this year. My list would put almost everyone else's to shame- everyone of my talent, that is. I smile to myself thinking of all the free time I have.

"What does your schedule look like, Andi?" Harry asks.

I show him and Ron the piece of parchment then tuck it and my O.W.L. score sheet into my bag.

After I eat, I head over to the common room with Ron and Harry to drop off my bag because I don't need it during my free period.

"I'll see you later," I say to them as I step into the common room from the girls dormitory.

"Wh-?" Ron starts.

I interrupt him, "I've got stuff to do. Things to collect," I say, heading over to the portrait hole.

"We could come with you," he pleads.

"Ron, remember what happened _last _time we went with her, " Harry interjects.

I smile, remembering the time they had come with me back in fourth year. We got caught hiding dungbombs near the Slytherin common room and got detentions every Saturday for a month. Draco had come over to us in the library with Crabbe and Goyle and had made some weird remark about it and I had punched him in the nose- earning myself extra detentions.

"Oh... Right... Have fun then, Andi," Ron says enthusiastically, but I can tell he wanted to come.

_It's okay, I don't need anyone knowing about my stash..._

I open the portrait hole and climb out into the hallway, which stands silent and uninhabited- other than the other portraits, of course.

Turning, I head up the moving stairs to the left seventh floor hallway I'm looking for. And, once I get there, I walk past the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls ballet three times. All the while chanting what I want in my head.

_The room of hidden things._

_The room of hidden things._

_The room of hidden things._

After my third walk past it, a door appears on the wall across from the tapestry. I walk over to it and see that the door has been left open just a crack.

_Well_, I think- mostly to the room, _you've never done _this _before._

I open the door slowly, hoping that it will make no creaking sounds so I can see why it was open without scaring off anything that could be inside.

Stepping into the room, I nearly forget what I was being so careful about because of the giant piles of discarded and forgotten items, left here by the previous finders of the room. I take a few careful steps into the room, and after a moment of listening for movement, I decide it's safe to move freely, and head over to my stash of forbidden items.

The pile looks the same as I left it on the last day I came here last year: Canary Creams, Portable Swamps, some trick wands, some Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs, Decoy Detonators, and Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder- all of which are from Fred and George's shop in Diagon Alley. But, I have other things hidden throughout the castle.

When I come into the room of hidden things, I like to look around at all of the 'hidden' things that have been collected over the years.

This time, I wander around aimlessly looking at giant stacks of books, piles of strange old-looking hats, even a pile of shoes, before I- accidentally- come across a sound somewhat like kicking a giant wooden wall.

I freeze in my tracks.

_What the _hell_! _I think confused. I step carefully around a giant hill of who-knows-what to see what is going on on the other side of it.

And then, I see him. _That ferret!_

I run from the pile of who-knows-what to a different hill stacked sky-high with all sizes of boxes imaginable.

He turns in the direction of where I'm standing.

"Who's there?" he demands loudly, sounding rather dumb- as if I would tell you I'm standing here.

I can't stop myself from sniggering fast enough. He hears and takes a step closer to where I'm standing.

"Who's there?" he demands again, louder this time.

"I'm you from the future; bald, ugly, and fat," I can't help myself.

For a moment, he looks convinced- if not eager to hear what I have to say. My eyes grow wide. _Why in hell would you care what you have to say!_

"I'll hex you, or make these boxes fall on top of you if you don't come out- _now_!"

"I don't believe you!" I yell in the best French accent I can muster.

He sends a jet of red light towards the boxes sitting just above me, and they come toppling down on me before I can move out of the way. It hurts _a lot _to be hit by a pile of boxes and buried under them so you can't move.

He starts to laugh, sounding somewhat crazy, and walks over to where I'm stuck underneath the surprisingly heavy boxes.

"Wasn't lying, was I?" he smirks from above me, though I can hardly make out what he's saying from beneath all the boxes.

I can't reach my wand, so I try to wiggle my way free of the boxes- it doesn't work. Instead, he reaches down and takes one off of the top of the heap on top of me. Then another, and continues until he can see me underneath them, but I'm still trapped under the remaining boxes.

He recognizes me, "I should have known," he says all-knowingly.

"Should have known what, ferret? That you can move heavy boxes?"

He leans down to move another box, and, as soon as his face gets close enough, I reel back my arm as much as I can, and punch his nose as hard as I possibly can. I know- I'm under all of these heavy boxes, can't find my wand to move them, and have just punched the only person that knows where I am and can help- _not _my best plan. But, I have to say, I've punched him before, and _this_ one felt better than all of the other times.

My punch sends him staggering back into a different pile of forgotten junk behind him. His hand goes to his nose where I hit him to, no doubt, check for damage and blood. He pulls it off his face and looks at it- covered in his blood.

"What the hell did you do that for? You gormless scrubber!" He yells at me from the top of his voice, his nose turning a little purple where I hit it as he shouts.

"I am not, you bloody prick!"

"No use denying it," he says angrily, regaining some of his composure, "What in bloody hell did you do that for?" He shouts again.

"That was for Harry! And you got me under this pile of rubbish!" I scream at him.

"Now I should just leave you where you are! And, I didn't do a damn thing to Potter!" he smirks at my predicament.

"And..." he says looking at his bare arm, pretending there is a watch when the clock rings, "Would you look at that! Free's up already! I better get going," he says turning.

"Wait! No! Stop!" I shout from amongst the pile of boxes.

He continues to walk away from me towards the door.

"How do you think he'd feel if his favorite student didn't show up?" I shout after him.

He stops for a second but continues.

"Malfoy! Please!" I try to move some of the boxes, but they _really _are heavy.

He continues to walk, as if my begging wasn't good enough for him.

"Draco!" He pauses, "Please!"

Apparently his first name was the key, because he turns and semi-stomps back over to my pile of boxes.

"I can't believe that I'm bloody doing this," he grumbles as he waves his wand, moving the boxes off of me.

"I know. It's about time." I say when I'm able to move and find my wand, "Let's go, Draco." I forget to catch myself in calling him that, he looks surprised that I can manage his first name twice in a minute.

I stare up into his blue-grey eyes, "Are you just going to stand there? Or come with me?"

He regains his composure and I notice his eyes turn back to their normal icy grey, "Fine, let's go."

I turn to walk but, as soon as I put my left foot down, I fall to the floor with it in so much pain that my eyes actually get a little teary.

"I think something happened to my ankle," I manage to say shakily.

He turns back to me, "Really, I think something happened to my nose," he smiles quickly, his eyes once again a pretty blue-grey, and, for some reason, scoops me up in his arms and walks out into the hallway.

Shocked I say, "You know people will be able to see this? I have a reputation to uphold."

"And you would rather walk?" He asks setting me down. I set my feet on the ground and try to take a step with my left foot, and, once again, it gives way and I end up sitting painfully holding my ankle on the ground.

"Or I could try to set it myself. But, I'm not very good with that stuff." He smirks down at me.

"Okay fine, you can help." I say and he scoops me up again.

The whole way to the hospital wing I am seething. Both because I have to be carried there, and, because I have to be carried there by _Malfoy_!

When we walk into the hospital Madam Pomfrey is sitting right inside the door reading the daily prophet, malfoy clears his throat.

"The hospital is busy today," she says dutifully turning the page.

"I think this is rather important," Malfoy says impatiently.

She looks up from her reading and must have recognized him because she stands up quickly and says, "Mister Malfoy, what happened to your nose? And, Miss Irbane?"

He doesn't mention my punching him, but says "I think I broke my nose, and she probably broke her ankle."

He walks me over to one of the beds and drops me carefully onto it. Madam Pomfrey comes over and shoos him a few feet away.

"Well Miss Irbane, your ankle _is_ definitely broken, I'll fix it. And, Mister Malfoy will have to help you walk around."

"What?" I yell angrily, "_He _has to walk me around!"

"Yes, all day. I'm not going to keep you here due to the fact that it's the first day of term. He will have to help you. And, if he doesn't and I find out, there will be detentions for both of you," I look at Malfoy angrily, he looks shocked.

"And," she continues, "I'm going to give you a herb that will dull the pain, but its effects are diverse, you will most likely just be a little bit groggy for a while," she pauses, lifts her wand, "One... Two... Three!"

I gasp in pain, "Oww!"

My eyes start to tear up, "Well Miss Irbane, I have set your ankle. I will just wrap it and go help Malfoy."

She expertly wraps my ankle and then turns to help Malfoy.

"Mister Malfoy, your nose is indeed broken. But, the fix should be much easier and quicker than Miss Irbane's."

"Okay," he says looking relieved.

_"Episkey!" _His nose looks a little red then white, but- thankfully- the purple bruise does not go away, and neither does the blood- just like Harry's nose. I smirk.

She clears the blood from his face, "Unfortunately the bruise won't fade for another hour or so. You'll just have to show up to class with it."

Suddenly, Malfoy looks somewhat scared- as if every person in defense will laugh at him and he will no longer be Snape's favorite student. His cheeks turn a light shade of red.

"Okay," he says a little shakily.

I smirk again.

"You should get going to class," Madam Pomfrey says ushering towards the door. Malfoy walks over and helps me stand up, at first I feel a little woozy and then I just feel a little drowzy as he walks us toward the door. _At least my foot doesn't hurt anymore._

We arrive to class about ten minutes late because I have to walk slowly. But, luckily, I'm not feeling as sleepy.

Malfoy let's go of his hold on my arm, and opens the door as quietly as he can, I walk through the doors as quickly as I can I ignoring the pain that flares up when I walk over to one of the only two empty seats left in the back of the room. _Damn, I have to sit next to him! _I sulk to myself.

He walks in looking a little red in the face, and walking somewhat slower than I had.

Everyone turns to stare at him walking calmly to the empty seat next to me. I look up and see Harry, Ron, and Hermione staring at me- Harry's mouth is hanging open in shock, and Ron is trying to silently ask me, "Where in hell have you been with _him_?", and Hermione just looked completely dumbfounded.

I look up to where Snape is standing, lips pursed in what could potentially be hatred or just amusement at our embarrassment. For a second, I think I can see a small smile pass on his face, maybe a smile at me, but probably not, probably a smile towards the person he _wishes _he was related to, Malfoy. His face returns to the normal inscrutable expression it usually is.

"Malfoy, Irbane, you're both late!" He affirms loudly.

"Sorry, Professor, we had to go to Madam Pomfrey's," Malfoy starts.

"For what? I can see that you have done something to your nose," I stifle a laugh and drop my head down onto my arm, "But, she doesn't look like she needed to go with you," he says pointedly.

"Irbane, head up! This is _not _your free period. Detention... For both of you! Tonight at eight." We both sigh. _That's right, the first person to give me detention is Snape... How impressive._

"Now, as I was saying before we were ever so rudely interrupted, what is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?"

No one but Hermione raises their hand. Snape tries to over look her until he makes sure he has no other choice, "Very well- Miss Granger?"

"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform," she says, "Which gives you a split-second advantage."

"An answer copied almost word for word from _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six_," Snape says dismissively, next to me Malfoy sniggers and I kick him as hard as I can, he groans but shuts up, "But correct in essentials. Yes, those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some," he looks pointedly at Harry, "lack."

"You will now divide into pairs- table partners. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on."

I glance quickly at Malfoy, then stand and try to ignore the pain in my foot. We walk to opposite sides of the room, Harry and Ron come and stand next to us.

"Why were you here so late?" Harry asks quietly as we watch Ron turn purple trying to jinx Harry.

"Hurt my ankle, nothing to worry about," I say dismissively.

"Why were you with him?"

"I'll explain later, I really don't want to be jinxed." I turn to concentrate on Malfoy- who, by the looks of it, had been standing waiting for us to finish talking.

When he notices that I have turned back toward him he raises his wand to the ready position, "Who first, Irbane?"

"You."

"Alright," he says, his voice full of apprehension, and all of a sudden I feel like he has done this before. _Please work... Please work!_

A split-second later a jet if red light flashes before me, _"Protego!" _I think as loud as I can. And, amazingly it works- weakly, but it works!

Malfoy looks completely shocked that I was able to silently protect myself from his jinx. But, Snape comes by and actually has a look of pride- his own kind of pride- on his face, "Very good, Irbane." He then moves on to Harry and Ron.

"Pathetic, Weasley. Here- let me show you-"

He turns his wand on Harry, who reacts quickly, standing next to me, _"Protego!" _He yells, forgetting the assignment. Snape is knocked backwards into a desk, everyone turns to stare at him righting himself.

"Do you remember me telling you that we are practicing _nonverbal _spells, Potter?"

"Yes."

"Yes, _sir_."

"There is no need to call me 'sir', Professor." Everyone turns, shocked, to stare at Harry. Though a few boys, including Ron, who are standing behind Snape, grin.

"Detention, Saturday night, my office. I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter... Not even '_the Chosen One_'."

"Alright, seeing as Potter has now earned you all a twelve inch essay on nonverbal spells, you can leave," he dismisses the class but holds me and Malfoy, "Irbane, Malfoy, don't forget your detentions."

"Wouldn't dream of it Snape!" I say smiling and walking towards the door.

"He lets you get away with calling him Snape? What the hell, Irbane?"

"What? Afraid I'll steal your spotlight? The one _I've _had all along anyway?"

I shakes his head a little, "You seem to be walking fine," he observes.

"Speaking of, I think we can go our separate ways and never talk of this experience again- to _anyone. _Because, I swear Malfoy, if you tell your goons-"

"I won't," he says holding his arms up in mock defeat, "I don't need _another _detention."

"I disagree, we just can't be seen by her."

"I don't really want to serve detention in the hospital ward."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're allergic to helping people," I laugh at my own joke.

"Oh, and you're not?" He asks sarcastically, "I just don't need another detention. So it's better I just help you walk around."

"You know this whole thing is your fault anyway. I wouldn't have to be seen in your company if you hadn't dropped a pile of boxes on me."

He shrugs his shoulders.

"I have to go back anyway, plus I have another free before Transfiguration."

"Fine."

I shake my head, "Just go do your own stuff, I will be fine. Prince Perfect won't get another detention, I promise."

"I can't. If _anyone _sees me not helping you, we _both _get detention."

"Yeah, but- unlike someone- I don't care. As long as I don't have to be in _your _company for another minute."

"Andi!" he says turning to me and raising his voice, "I am not risking it! I have important work to do that _cannot _be interrupted by a river of detentions because of you!"

"Deal with it," I say matter-of-factly, then turn and walk down the stair behind me, heading nowhere in particular other than away from him.

He follows me down, staying quiet until we reach a corridor where no one can see us.

"I'm not leaving."

"You should, what I'm about to do is a no-boys act," I look up into his now ice grey eyes and smile.

He looks confused until we reach the door to the girls bathroom.

"I hope I don't see you later," I say and walk through the door.

Twenty minutes later, after doing absolutely nothing but waiting in the bathroom, I carefully open the door and peer outside. Seeing no one, I open it wider, step out, and start walking back the way I had come in.

A voice comes from behind me and my heart drops, "I didn't know girls took so long in the loo."

"They don't unless they're trying to lose a tail." I say quickening my pace.

"That's funny, I don't remember you having a tail."

"Ha ha ha. Very funny, Malfoy. My foot feels fine, you can leave me alone."

"Not happening," he says catching up to me, "Now, didn't you have something to find in the hidden crap room."

"Yeah, that or lose."

He follows me up to the seventh floor corridor and watches as I walk three times in front of the door.

_I want a room where I can lose him._

_I want a room where I can lose him._

_I want a room where I can lose him._

A door appears across the hall from where I have stopped pacing, I smile. _This had better work. _

"Okay, just wait out here for a minute," I say anxiously waiting to see what the room has come up with.

He must have heard the anxiety in my voice, "Hah, as if Irbane. Come on." He walks over and pulls open the door.

"What the hell?" He says when he sees inside.

"What? What?" I ask excitedly.

He opens the doors wider and I see giant bookcase walls that are configured in a maze of sorts.

"Wow!" I say and run into the maze, ignoring any sign of pain springing from my ankle. I round a couple corners and, after a second of listening, hear Malfoy's voice echoing from somewhere in the distant expanse of the room. _You really outdid yourself this time! _I think to the room.

"Irbane?" I can hear in the distance, "Andi!"

"Perfect," I say to myself and continue into the bookcase maze.

After a couple minutes of winding around the corners in search if a way out, a door springs up in front of me. I open it and walk out into the hallway, I'm still on the seventh floor but a little more down the hall than the original door was located. I hurry towards the staircase to avoid him if he makes it out before I plan on getting off the seventh floor. When I reach the bottom of the stairs onto the sixth floor I hear a door banging above me and hurry in the opposite direction, running as fast as my foot will carry me towards the Gryffindor common room.


	4. Chapter Three

**Hey again all! Under the advice of my little bro I have decided to upload at least once a week. Thank you all for your reviews and comments and follows and favorites. **

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**gotalife**

* * *

Chapter Three

"Abstinence!" I yell at the fat lady.

"No need to be angry," she says swinging open the door as I burst into the common room.

Apparently, I had yelled the password loud enough for the people in the common room to hear, including the gawking Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

"Didn't know you were into that sort of thing," Ron teases as I limp over to them.

"Oh ha, ha. Very funny," I say sarcastically.

"Getting on past the 'declaration' of abstinence," Harry laughs a little and then continues, "What happened to your foot? And, why were you with Malfoy?"

I sit down in between Hermione and Ginny on the couch, "We were snogging and I fell," I say tauntingly.

Both Harry and Ron look shocked, but Ginny and Hermione have caught on, "Oh! I just knew you two would be together eventually!" Ginny giggles.

"Yeah, it was only a matter of time!" Hermione chimes in.

"Girls, girls," I say humorously, "Let's hear what the boys have to say." I turn to them, their mouths both hanging open.

Harry regains his composure first, but Ron remains appalled looking.

"Well, _this _is unexpected," he says cautiously.

"Really? You're not angry?" I say leaning back, trying to look tired and bored.

"Yes, I guess I am."

"Well, that sucks."

"Sure does."

"Good thing I'm not actually walking out with him," I say simply.

I can see Ron visibly sighing in relief.

"You looked completely aghast, Ron," Hermione observes.

"Of course I did," he says- as if it's to be expected, "So what actually happened?"

I stay silent for a minute, but then give in and tell them what had happened before class.

"Ha! You punched him!" Ron says excitedly, "Was it anything like Hermione's in third year?"

"Dunno," I shrug, "I wasn't on the receiving end of either of them. But, I do need to go back for the stash I left up there- and he can't see me, otherwise I'll have to walk around with him all day!" I say, disgusted by the idea.

"Okay, we can help you get there," Hermione and Ginny volunteer.

"Sure. Let's go." I stand up and turn towards the portrait hole.

"Wait!" Harry practically yells.

I turn back towards him, "What?"

"Why don't you just use my cloak?" he asks, winking.

"That's a good idea, I'll go get it!" I turn and run up the stairs toward their room.

I gasp when I see the state of their room: I stand looking at a room more pristine than that of Hermione's. I don't know what I was expecting their room to look like, but considering that it is the first day of term, I suppose I should have guessed it wouldn't be too much of a mess... Oh well. I close my mouth and head over to Harry's bed, stopping at his trunk. Opening the lid, I toss through it a little until I find the cloak at the bottom. Quickly taking it out, I slip it over myself and head back down to the common room. Giving a thumbs up to Harry, who seems to be the only one noticing that there it a 'thumbs up' floating through the room, I walk over to the portrait hole and wait for him to come over and open it. He does.

"Thanks Harry," I say as we climb through.

"No problem Andi, see you later," he says with a quick wave then heads off down the stairs towards the library, I head in the other direction towards the stairs up to the seventh floor. When I reach the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy I start walking in front of it, saying "_The room of hidden things" _three times as well. The door appears and I quickly slip inside, making my way over to my stash- not noticing that I was actually being quite loud, but who cares? I'm alone, right?

The answer to that would be: no, I am _not _alone. Shit...

I take off the cloak for a better walking experience, still believing that there is no one around me. Boy, was I wrong to do that.

"I thought I could find you in here," I hear a snobbish voice behind me.

"Fuck," I cuss to myself, apparently not quiet enough.

"I have to agree, you are fucked. Did you really think I would give up that easy?"

I stand up, turn to face him, and walk over to him, stopping inches from him, "Why in hell do you care where I go?"

"I told you before, prat, I am _not _getting another damned detention. We already have the one from Snape."

"I enjoy my detentions with him!" I yell at him sarcastically, but somewhat truthfully- I mean, it is time for us to hang out and all.

"Hah! As if that's even possible!"

"You've never gotten one from him before," I smirk.

A look of surprise quickly passes over his face but, he immediately returns his expression to its normal somewhat impassive, sour, cold grey eyed look.

As I notice the change I just can't help myself, "Your eyes change colors. Did you know that?"

He looks surprised again, but this time he doesn't try to hide it.

"Never thought about my eyes that much," he takes his turn to smirk.

"Prick. Eyes are the windows to the soul."

"Where did you hear such a stupid thing?" He laughs. I take a step back from him.

"My dad told that to my mum when I was little, I wasn't supposed to hear."

"You have a dumbass for a father. Mine would never say something like that."

"That's because your father is a tyke! Just like you!"

"Are you sure yours isn't a faggot?" He yells at me.

"NO! Do you _want _another broken nose?" I step towards him and raise my fist threateningly.

"Of course not," he takes a step away from me.

"My father is _never _like that, that's why I wasn't supposed to see!"

"How did we get to this topic?" He asks, laughing.

"You! You fricking arsehole!"

"Oh really, me?" He takes a step back towards me.

"Yes," I say, staying completely still- holding my position, as it were.

"No, sorry sweetie, I think that was _you_," he says pointedly, taking another step towards me, closing the gap between us substantially, since we are now standing inches apart.

"No. It was you," I spit back, holding my ground, though starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

He looks into my eyes- I can see my green ones reflecting in his blue ones- which are strangely captivating.

"It was you," he practically whispers. I nod absently.

He breaks our gaze and straightens up, "Good. Now that we've dealt with _that_, what are you here for?"

"You grotty ferret."

"I had a shower this morning," he says in a ridiculous voice, well, I suppose it was his 'sexy' one. Whatever.

"Ew. I don't need to know, Malfoy," I think I spat on him when I said his name.

I'm proven right when he uses his sleeve to wipe away the spittle. I laugh.

"Serves you right," I get out between bouts of laughing.

"Come on, munter, let's find your crap and go."

I stop laughing, "Oh really? Munter, 'ey?"

I walk around him then turn to face him. I run my fingers gently down his torso and take a step towards him, lightly flicking my hair as I do so.

And, just with that, his mouth parts a little and his pupils dilate. I look straight up into his eyes, now once again a beautiful- not that I'd admit it- blue-grey.

"You really think that?" I ask in a sultry voice.

He looks a little dazed and takes a small step back, "I was kidding, _scrubber_. Prefer that?" he asks regaining his grey-eyed composure.

"Eh, whatever," I bend down and pick up Harry's cloak, making sure it isn't turning anything invisible, and head over to my stockpile for a decoy detonator.

"Let's go, ferret," I say and head back the way I came in.

"Irbane. Glad you finally made it," Snape says dismissively when he hears me enter. Normally, I would have arrived later than 8:25, since detention started at eight, but I was feeling good.

"Hey Snape. Where's fer-" he looks at me sternly, "I mean, Malfoy," I finish, shrugging.

"He's taking inventory right now, you will go join him."

"Seriously? Do I have to?"

He looks up at me again and gives me a small, almost nonexistent, smile, "Yes."

I place my bags on the table nearest the door and carefully hide my wand in the leg of my jeans while he isn't looking.

"Ahem," he coughs and holds out his hand, "Wand, Andi."

"Well, it was a good try, I mean at least I didn't put it under my shirt, like last year," I smile at the memory, however weird it was, and pull my wand out of my pocket.

He stands and takes it, "Now that both of you are here, I am leaving, I will be back in and hour to check on your progress, don't mess around with anything this time. Last time I had to restock almost half of my shelves." He turns and walks out the door. I walk into the storage room.

"Irbane, nice of you to be here on time," he says curtly.

"You know what just occurred to me," I ask, and not waiting for an answer, "_You _are a perfect, a perfect has detention! And, not just any perfect- _you_!" I end gleefully.

"Don't push it, I still reserve the _new _right to give you detention."

"Yeah but then you'd be in a room with sweet little me for two hours, how much fun we could have," I say serenely, shrugging off my jacket to uncover my tight, blue, v-neck, t-shirt. I place my jacket on a stool and turn back to him, only to find him staring.

"Like what you see, Malfoy?"

"No, munter."

"Oh, Malfoy, I would've thought you had learned _last time_ not to call me that. Unless you want it, of course."

His eyes widen and his pupils dilate for the second time today, "Munter," he says only kind of sarcastically.

"Eh, I don't feel like it." I turn away from him, towards the shelf containing jars of various ingredients. Bending down, I pick up a jar labeled _"Frog Eyes"_ and stood up.

Turning towards Malfoy, "Where are we supposed to put.. the..." I stop when I see him staring.

"Yes?" I ask annoyed by the constant staring- which, quite frankly, I am _not _used to.

"Nothing," he says, shaking his head as if to clear it.

"Whatever. Like I was asking, where do I put the frog eyes?"

"Over there," he points to a shelf on the other side of the room. I walk over and put it down where he indicated.

The same basic thing continued for another hour before Malfoy stopped and asked, "You've had detention with Snape before, you should know how to do this, right?"

"Eh, I don't usually do anything when I have detention in here. Just sit around and do random stuff."

"Hah, as if he'd let you get away with that," he laughs, but stops when we hear a loud cough in the doorway.

"Irbane. Come here." Snape twists his fingers in a motion for me to go with him.

I drop everything, literally, and walk after him, leaving a scowling Malfoy to clean up the jar of butterscotch I had just dropped.

Once we are standing outside of the storage room he turns to me, "You really shouldn't be talking to him about your other detentions," he says quietly.

"Why? Because it's the only time you treat me like a daughter? Because I do actually help _you _do the work?"

"Because he'll want preferential treatment," he says simply.

"And, you really think he cares if I- the person that has the most amount of detentions other than the Weasley twins- get preferential treatment from _one _teacher."

"Yes. He's Draco Malfoy. He has had preferential treatment his whole life."

"I am well aware who he is. Who am I?"

"You know who are."

"Yeah, but you always seem to forget. Even during the summer. We didn't see you a single damned time. So you should just go and do your work and let me get back to mine."

"Fine. Get back in there. I'll be back in two hours."

"_What_? _Two _hours!"

"Yes, you've earned both of you an extra hour of detention. And, _you _have to go in there and tell him."

"I can't believe you!" I yell at him before turning around and stalking back into the storage room.

"What was that about?" Malfoy asks innocently from right inside the door, I jump a couple inches to the side.

"Obviously, you know exactly what that was about!" I accuse.

He smiles devilishly and nods, "You and your daddy are having problems," he says sarcastically- though I fail to hear the sarcasm. My jaw drops and my eyes widen.

"Calm down, I was kidding."

I continue to stare at him, again, unaware that he had said anything.

Realization semi-dawns on his face, "Are you related to him?"

I suddenly regain my composure, "No! Of course not!"

"Okay, whatever," he dismisses in a voice that sounds like he was nowhere near finished, "Let's get back to work." He motions to the rest of the stock.

"We both have an extra hour of detention," I decide to bring up.

He turns to me, fuming, "What? How did you get us _both _an hour?"

"None of your business," I shrug, "I guess you weren't listening that closely after all."

We get back to work, with relatively little fighting- Malfoy is actually _very _quiet, and two hours later, Snape comes in to dismiss us.

"Malfoy you can go. Irbane, I need to talk to you."

Malfoy heads out the door and I walk over to Snape.

"What now?"

"I don't care what type of extra relationship we have, you will _not _speak to your professor like that. Any of them. Do you talk to your mother like that?"

"No," I answer defiantly.

"Then what makes it okay to treat me like that?"

"Because, to me, you're not _quite _a father, but you're not _quite_ a teacher, either," I shrug, changing the subject I nod towards the door Malfoy has just walked out of, "We may have a problem."

"And that would be?" he asks in his usual drawl.

"He _may _have figured the extra relationship part out..."

He gives me a stone cold, hard glare, "And, how would that have happened?"

"He heard some of our earlier conversation. And, well... Yeah," my mind quickly wanders over to the door in the hopes of finding its secrets, to no avail. Apparently, when I want to know if someone is listening to conversations, it just doesn't happen.

"That doesn't mean anything. You can leave now," he lazily waves his hand toward the doorway. I shake my head, pick up my bag and wand, and head over to the door.

As I walk through the door, I hear shallow breathing coming from a corner in the darkness of the hallway, "Really, ferret, I wouldn't peg you as one to listen to conversations between student and teacher."

There's a pause before I hear his voice coming from the corner next to the door, "Or father and daughter."

"Nosey parker, eh?"

"But no denial, huh?"

"What's to deny? You were listening to a private conversation and heard some things you weren't supposed to." I shrug, though in the darkness, I'm sure he couldn't see it.

He walks out of his corner and over to me, "You're not going to ask me not to tell a soul, or something?"

"Why bother?"

"Why not bother?"

"Why do you care who my family members are?"

"Do your friends know?" he asks skeptically.

I stop walking, "Fine. Just don't tell anyone, okay?" I say after a minute's hesitation.

"What's the magic phrase?"

"As if I'm going to go fishing for that."

"Draco is totally hot."

"Malfoy is totally not."

"You have to say it, or I'll tell everyone, starting with Potter."

"You wouldn't!" I say dramatically.

"Oh come on, it won't kill you to say a few harmless words."

"Nothing about any of those words is _harmless _when they are put in a sentence _together_."

"Say it."

"Choose something else."

"Say it now or later in front of everyone. Take your pick."

"Draco is totally hot," I murmur.

"What was that?" he asks putting his hand to his ear for emphasis.

"Draco is totally hot," I say so he can hear me, though I know he knew what I said the first time.

"Good, I won't tell a _soul_."

"Glad to know I can count on you," I shoot back sarcastically, "At least now the day is finally over."

"Why's that so good?"

"I don't have to be spied on anymore," I smile.

"Either way, my stop is close." He stops by a seemingly innocent stone wall and waits for me to keep walking, but I don't.

"It's only fair I know one of your secrets," I shrug.

"Well, this isn't the one."

I roll my eyes and, I know I'm giving up easily, walk away from him, down the corridor towards the stairs.

When I get to the common room entrance The Fat Lady is fast asleep in her frame.

I stomp my foot, nothing happens.

I cough loudly, again, nothing happens.

"Hey Lady! Wake up! Are you dead or something!" I decide to yell at her.

She startles awake, and looks at me grumpily, "No need to yell, young lady."

"Well, I want to get in."

"What's the password?"

"Abstinence."

She nods her head and swings open, revealing the hole into the common room.

"Finally," I say exasperatedly as I climb through the portrait hole.

Once inside I notice that no one is in the common room at this time, so I decide to sit on the couch and enjoy the solitude. Coal also decides that at this time it is his duty to come lay on my stomach. We just lay there until my eyes can't stay open anymore and I fall asleep.


	5. Chapter Four

**Hey y'all! Merry Winter Break! [I would say Merry Christmas, but I'm afraid someone will get angry with me for being mono-religionist (yes I just made that up) I'm not actually religious, but everyone I know is so I celebrate Christmas for the whole 'family and friends' perspective. Everyone is so happy this time of year.].**

**I would like to thank my good friend _Padfoot runs on _for their review, thank you for your support, I would really like it if you would post more for your story *cough* *cough*. Also, to _MissGaurdianAngel, _thank you very much for your review, I hope you still think this is a good story. :]  
**

**Anyway, I figured it has been week-enough. So, here is a new chapter folks!**

**gotalife**

* * *

Chapter Four

"Hey Coal," I hear a distant voice say as I begin to wake up, a sudden weight is lifted from my stomach.

"Hey! That's my fluffball!" I grumble quietly.

"Andi, wake up. Everyone is already down in the great hall eating," I hear the voice again. Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I can see a hazy Seamus come into view.

"Oh, Seamus, hi. Where is everyone?" I ask groggily.

"I just told you, they're downstairs eating."

"Well, we don't have to go down yet. Come on, sit," I say sitting up and patting the spot next to me.

He smiles, comes around the couch and plops down next to me, "Your hair is a right mess, you know."

"Eh, who cares," I say, waving my arm around.

"I think you're the only girl here that doesn't care about that stuff," he smiles.

"Oh you know me, I don't like mainstream."

"You should try it sometime."

"Outta my league."

He starts to laugh, I swear he must be working some type of angle or something, I've never heard _anyone_ laugh this much at what I have to say.

"Well, I think it is time for breakfast!" I say jumping up and clapping my hands together.

He looks confused and a little disappointed as I spin around to help him up.

A sudden thought comes to me, "I think I have homework to finish actually!"

And, I _actually _do this time, second day of sixth year and teachers are already loading us with stuff.

I turn and start to run up the stairs to my dorm, before remembering that I slept on the couch last night. I turn back to Seamus, Coal, and the couch.

Smiling I say, "Heh, left my bag here."

I go to reach for my bag, but Seamus picks it up and puts it on his shoulder, "I'll carry it down for you," he smiles.

I cock my head in confusion, but nod anyway and head for the portrait hole, Coal on my heels, and Seamus following closely behind.

As soon as we reach the corridor to the library on the third floor, I hold out my hand for my bag.

Seamus pulls the bag off his shoulder and hands it to me.

"Have a good breakfast," I say to him right before I turn to the library.

"See you later Andi," he says, then turns and heads down the stairs to the great hall.

I shrug on my bag and head towards the library entrance. Coal runs ahead of me and I follow him in.

Upon entering, I see that almost all of the seats are taken, so I head further into the it for a table between the bookshelves. I find Coal again eight bookcases in, sitting on a table with one seat left, next to a boy with platinum blond hair, purring- he _never_ purrs.

Almost immediately I recognize the blonde, "Shit," I swear to myself.

"You can join me if you want," he says not looking up, and obviously not having any idea who is standing behind him.

"Coal! You traitor!"

He turns around to see who's cat is purring at him, "Oh, it's you."

I grab the chair that's next to him and drag it to the short side, perpendicular to his side, and sit down.

"Traitor, good for nothing cat!"

"He's very loud."

"Yeah, for _you_." I open my bag and pull everything out. The short side is definitely _not_ going to work, all of my papers and books are close to spilling over the edges, but there's nowhere else to go.

"If you want to sit on this side, you can," he offers, looking at my papers.

I think for a moment, then push everything over.

"Fine. But, don't touch me," I say as I pull the chair around. Almost as soon as I sit down he gently shoves my shoulder with his.

"Hey," I say defensively, and, by accident- I swear- I smile and start laughing.

He starts laughing too, "You know, if you had been made a Slytherin, we could've been friends."

"Ha ha ha! No, we wouldn't! We're too different."

He shrugs, "Weren't you even considered as a Slytherin?"

I think back to the hats in-my-head conversation, and nod, "Yeah, but, it chose Gryffindor. I wouldn't have minded either, I guess."

"Really? Most Gryffindor's wouldn't admit that."

"Most Gryffindor's aren't me. Plus, it would get Seamus off my back."

He starts laughing.

"Hey! It's not funny!"

"Yeah it is! Is he literally on your back?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," I scoff and turn back to my essay.

We sit in silence for a while, the whole time I just stare at the empty parchment paper in front of me that I am supposed to be turning into a "eighteen inch" essay on the usage of nonverbal spells. Essays are something I have never been good at.

"What are you supposed to be writing?"

"The essay for Snape," I answer suspiciously.

"Oh," he takes my book and turns it to a different page, "The information is here, not where you were."

"Either way, I still can't write essays."

"I can help if you need it," he asks, looking at me uncertainly.

Again looking at him suspiciously, "If I need it, I'll take you up on that."

He looks at me a little quizzically.

"What?" I ask defensively.

"Why do you call him that?"

It takes me a second to understand what he's talking about, but even when I do I have to think about it.

"Uh, I don't really know. I always have. Probably just so people don't know, I guess," I shrug.

"Why don't you want people to know?"

"What is this? An interrogation?" I shoot back.

"Just wondering," he says defensively.

"Well, you can ask that again when I know your secret."

"Depends what I decide to tell you."

"Do you even have your secret yet?"

"Not one I'm willing to tell a friend of Potter's."

"Yeah, but I can't tell anyone. And, you better not have told anyone either," I warn, then turn back to my unwritten essay.

"I haven't."

"Ridiculous," I say throwing my arms up in the air, frustrated with the essay I'm getting nowhere with, I turn to him, "Can you help me with the essay?"

"What's the magic word?" he asks teasingly.

"I don't know. Tomato?"

"No," he says with a disgusted look on his face.

"What is it?"

"Please."

"Fine, there you go. Help me," I demand.

"Ha ha ha. No. You have to say it."

"Please help me," I say somewhat nicely pushing the parchment towards him, "And, you better not be messing with me."

"Much better," he says and looks at the paper, "You haven't written a single word."

I shrug, "What can I say? I really hate writing essays."

He looks down at the paper and starts to explain how I should go about writing essays. We sit there for another hour, or so, until it's well into the free period and I decide to pack up my now finished essay and go find something outside to do.

"I hope I don't see you later," I say as I pick up my bag, "Offense should be taken."

He looks up at me briefly and I swear I can see a tiny smile on his face. Weird.

"Good bye, Snape."

"Don't call me that!" I say seriously.

"Okay. See ya, Andi."

"Much better," I say, promptly turning and heading for the door. I can imagine my next stop in my mind. And, five minutes later, I am there.

It's a place that I found back in fourth year to think during Harry and Ron's giant fight about his name in the goblet. It's a clearing next to the bank of the lake with green grass, a giant willow whose branches come down to touch the ground all the way around the clearing, making a very nice secluded, yet bright and shadowy, spot to stop and think. Which is exactly what I plan on doing. I take off my bag and set it down next to the trunk of the tree, then sit myself with my back against the trunk, lean my head back and close my eyes. I sit like that for about fifteen minutes, until I hear some very loud footsteps coming into the clearing.

My eyes snap open to see a tall blond kid with a black v-neck t-shirt, and a dark pair of jeans standing in front of me.

"You have _got _to be kidding me," I exclaim exasperatedly.

"I could say the same to you," he grumbles back.

"What the hell are you doing here, _ferret_?" I growl.

"Trying to get some peace."

"By coming to _my_ spot!"

"By coming to _my_ spot," he repeats.

"How is this _your _spot?"

"How is it yours?"

"Because."

He looks at me expecting more, "Because what?"

"Because I come here all the time, that's why."

"I'm sorry, well I'm not, but, there is no way you come here all the time."

"Oh, and I suppose you do?"

He nods to the spot next to me, "Can I at least sit?"

"Fine. Whatever," I am _screwed _if Harry suddenly bursts into the clearing.

"It's really beautiful here," he says, as if he's trying to lift the tension.

"It would be prettier if I didn't hear a buzzing in my ear."

"Suit yourself."

"What? You think talking to you is some kind of privilege? That you came from the heavens or something?" I question, falling into his trap.

"Yes," he says simply, waiting a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

"Well, I'm glad you find it so funny," I say before breaking out into a smile. I don't remember him being a good person to socialize with, even if he _is _annoying _and _a Malfoy, not that I'd admit that to anyone.

This weekend is the first time we get to go into Hogsmeade this year. And, normally, it wouldn't be such a big deal, but, as sixth years, we have so much more work to do, so the day off to Hogsmeade really makes a difference. I, for one, have felt like a caged bird ever since school started last week and can't wait for the trip.

I open my eyes to the view of my well lit room for one person, I have no idea how I got so lucky- well, I do. My bed is right under the window, and the sun comes in and makes a bright shadow on the covers of my bed where Coal is still sleeping. Normally, I would be in a room with Hermione and Ginny, but last year I got into a bit of a scuffle with Lavender Brown and, as a punishment, McGonagall had banished me to the room at the very top of the tower with only enough room for one person. I think of it as an upgrade, not a punishment. I even have my own bathroom, and no need to share with anyone else. Plus, I have a broom that I keep in my room so I can come and go from the window if I want to, and no one knows- or has ever caught me.

I roll out of bed, bumping Coal off as well, and sleepily stumble over to the bathroom to get ready. Ten minutes later, I run down the stairs to the common room, where I find everyone waiting for me.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Andi," Ron says when he sees me jump the last three stairs.

"Nice to be here," I answer sarcastically.

"Shall we get going?" Harry butts in.

"We shall," Hermione answers for us and heads to the portrait hole with Harry. I follow closely behind, and Ron takes up the caboose.

I think I saw right, in fact, I know I did- but, I saw the most annoying girl in the world watching Ron leave... Lavender Brown. Ugh, I shudder to imagine what horrors could happen if they ever go out together. Occasionally, I see Ron look at her too, and then Hermione, so I really don't know what's going on in his mind. And, Harry and Ginny! _Something _is up with them too, I just don't know what. It's like now that we're all in the later years of Hogwarts we all think its appropriate to be snogging in the halls for everyone to see. I, personally, like to stay out of the dating scene. I've been out with a couple of guys, but there's always _something _that I don't like about them. Anyway, I ignore the look from Lavender, and head out the portrait hall and down the stairs.

Once in Hogsmeade, I split off from the rest of the group, who are heading to Rosmerta's for butterbeers, and head for the Hog's Head. No particular reason really, just that sometimes I do enjoy some peace and quiet, and usuallythe Hog's Head is the place to find it.

On my way there I pass a variety of shops, one of which being Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop where couples are already gathering for dates. Harry likes to say that it is "the haunt of happy couples", I can only agree.

Being that it is late September, the sky is dark and stormy looking by the time I enter Hog's Head and take a seat at the bar stools.

"Ev'ning Andi. Can I get you the norm?" Aberforth asks from over the counter.

I nod. He knows my name because I come so much, he probably knows more about me than I think he does, and I probably know less about him than I think I do. For instance, all I know is his first name and that he owns and lives in the Hog's Head inn. He's a nice man, and good for a laugh if we're both in the mood. I can remember the first time I met him in third year, I walked into the pub, sat at the bar, and he actually came up and introduced himself... I laughed the first time I heard his name, and in turn he laughed when I lost my balance and fell off the stool... Good times, huh?

He spins around from the tap with a warm mug of butterbeer sloshing at the top, sets it down in front of me and extends his hand for money. I dig in my pockets and set two Sickles in the palm of his hand,

He looks down at the money in his palm and, once he's happy that he got his money, asks, "So, how was your vacation this year, Andi, see any of your friends?"

"No, I mean, I never do, right? How was yours?"

"Business was good, we had some interesting folks come through here. How's your mum?"

"She's herself. Hunter sends his hello's," my uncle occasionally came to this pub back in his time at Hogwarts.

"Hello Hunter," he grunts then turns toward some new customers.

"Hey Andi," a voice says from behind me, making me jump. I turn to see the only person I never expected to see here.

"You have been showing up in my life quite a bit lately, Malfoy. Got a thing for me, or something?"

"Yeah, I'm going to steal you away to a far off island where I'll make you fall in love with me... no matter how _long _it takes," he says sarcastically, then smiles mischievously.

"You wouldn't be able to. I'm too awesome to fall under the spells of a Slytherin. Not to mention, a Slytherin that _owes _me."

"What do I owe you?" he asks as he sits in the stool next to me and quietly orders a butterbeer.

"Don't you remember? You owe me a secret."

"And, I still don't have one I'm going to tell you- a friend of Potter," he spits the name as if it's dirt in his mouth.

"I can't tell anyone. It goes against the rules."

"You're going to have to wait," he smirks.

I down the rest of my drink, leaving my throat burning, slam the mug down, jump off the stool and head for the street outside. It's pouring when I step outside and I'm almost immediately drenched. I forgot my trench coat this morning. _Damn... _In fact, all I have on over my t-shirt is a light jacket. Obviously, I wasn't expecting rain.

I suck it up and, pulling my jacket tighter around me, walk on down the, now muddy, lane. Once back on the mainstreet, I head over to Rosmerta's to meet with Harry and Ron. That was the plan anyway. Hermione had decided that she was going up to the castle early to do some work, so it was just the three of us.

When I walk in I leave small puddles where I place my feet and my hair is dripping water onto my clothes; which, in turn, drip onto the floor.

"Hey Andi!" I hear my name being called from the far side of the room.

I walkover and slide into the booth next to Ron, "Hey guys."

"How was Hog's Head?"

"The drink was good. But, you'll never guess who was there!"

"Hermione?" Ron asks.

"Ginny?" Harry asks.

I stare at them both suspiciously, "Not quite."

"Patil sisters?" they ask together.

"Not even the same gender."

"Seamus?"

"Seamus is here."

"Could you just tell us already, Andi!" Ron complains exasperatedly.

"Malfoy."

"Ha! _Malfoy_? He would go to a place like that?"

"I guess so," I answer, "So what have you guys been doing today?"

Harry looks like he wants to further inquire as to what Malfoy was doing at Hog's Head, but Ron squashed his opening, "We went shopping."

I stare at him, dumbfounded, "You went _what_-ing?" I ask lifting my eyes brows.

"Shopping. We needed to pick up some things for class that we forgot."

I stare at him doubtfully, "Okay. Sounds fun. You go dress shopping too?"

They start to laugh, "No!"

"Okay... Whatever you say."

"Let's go find Hermione," Ron suggests.

We both smirk, but Harry decides to gulp the rest of his drink and we head out into the pouring rain.


	6. Chapter Five

**Hey everyone! Merry Christmas! 2012 is almost up! Yay! Please continue to enjoy the story! Review, favorite, follow any are fine with me!**

**gotalife**

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Chapter Five

On Friday morning of the following week, I wake up to find myself tangled in blankets, my legs still clinging to my bed but my arms and torso smacked on the hard floor.

_What a way to end the week_, I think sourly.

It takes me awhile to wriggle out of the blankets that have me strapped to my bed- and the floor. But when I do, I immediately get up, pick my clothes for today off the floor and walk over to the bathroom to get changed and brush my teeth- my hair can wait.

I run down the stairs when I'm finished, jumping the last three like usual- and smacking right into someone standing, foolishly, by the stairway. We fall to the ground, me on top of him.

"Hey Andi," I hear a strained voice from beneath me.

I look down and see Seamus staring up at me. I can feel my face turn a bright red, and roll off of him and to my feet.

"Sorry about that, Seamus."

"No problem. But, we do have tryouts today, so you may have just ruined my chances," he smiles sweetly down at me.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I hope you do well," I say and, with a quick wave, start to head to the portrait hole.

"I'm just kidding, Andi," he calls from behind me. At first, I'm confused, but then, I remember that tomorrow is actually their first game against Slytherin and he hadn't made the team...

I walk out into the hall, and head down the giant staircases towards the great hall for food. When I walk in, the place is mostly empty, save a few people from each house. I head over to where Harry and Ron are sitting.

"Where's Hermione?"

"Catching up on work," Ron answers.

"What?"

"Catching up on work," he repeats.

"Huh, that doesn't sound like her."

"I think it was work due sometime in the future... not today's work."

"Oh. Where is everybody?"

"It's five o'clock, Andi. No one is awake," Ron answers.

"What!" I say, unaware of the time.

"It's five."

"_What?_" I know... I'm a bit slow this morning.

"Andi. Deal with it. You got up a little early, that's all," Harry says, obviously trying to calm me down.

"I can't believe I thought I was going to be late for class! But,_ no, _I'm freaking two hours early!"

"That's not our fault," Ron says defensively.

"Yeah, I know. Whatever."

"Dilligrout," Harry says darkly to the Fat Lady when I catch up to them that evening.

"Oi, what's got you in a ruffle?" I ask when I notice their expressions.

Ron mumbles something under his breath.

"And you, apparently."

They both duck inside and sit for hours in silence, then head up to their room in equal silence. Leaving me, and the newly arriving Hermione and Ginny staring after them.

I turn to the other two, "What's got them so bent out of shape?"

"They walked in on me and Dean," Ginny answers wryly.

"Ech!" I sound out loudly.

"Whatever. We got in a bit of a... um... tussle."

"Oh."

"Yeah," she says as they both sit down on the couch next to me.

"Why does Harry even care?"

"Who knows," she answers.

"Cheer up, Ron!" I hear Lavender call as I enter the great hall the next morning, "I know you'll be brilliant!"

From where I stand, I can see Ron ignoring her. It gives me a satisfying feeling and I smile.

"Into Weasley, are we?" a sneer comes from behind me, distracting me from watching Ron ignore Lavender.

I jump a little, "_Are_ you stalking me?"

Malfoy snorts, "No! I would _never_ stalk anyone, especially not _you_."

"Just a mere coincidence then?"

"Yes. It bothers me that I see so much of you."

"It's your own fault. If you hadn't broken my ankle..."

"I know more than I want to know about you."

"I know too little about you. You owe me a secret still," I quickly turn, making sure to hit him in the face with my ponytail- I hear a satisfying painful intake of breath behind me, and walk over to my friends, taking a seat next to Hermione.

No one notices that I'm there, so I just sit and try to catch up.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry says defiantly, quickly stuffing a little bottle in his pocket.

"Ron, I warn you, don't drink it!" Hermione says looking from Harry to Ron.

He picks up his drink and drains it in one gulp, "Stop bossing me around, Hermione."

Hermione leans forward and whispers something to Harry, who whispers something back, then stands up looking disgusted and storms off down the table. It takes the other two a moment to realize I'm sitting there.

"Oh hey, Andi! Lucky the weather's this good, eh?"

I look at him doubtfully but decide to play along, "Oh yeah, lucky as a leprechaun," I answer lethargically.

Just then, Ginny and Demelza come by.

"Conditions look ideal," Ginny says, "And guess what! The Slytherin Chaser Vaisey- he took a Bludger to the head yesterday during their practice, he's too sore to play! And even better than that- Malfoy's gone off sick!"

"_What?_" Harry and I say in unison.

"He's ill? What's wrong with him?"

"But, I just saw him!" I continue, looking around the great hall I see that he has indeed disappeared, but he had _not _looked at all sick earlier...

I let my thoughts wander for a moment until I realize that they are all getting up from their breakfasts to head down to the pitch for the game.

"You coming Andi?" Ron asks, looking a lot cheerier than he had just a few seconds ago, Harry also has a somewhat more suspicious grin on his face.

I blink to clear my head, "Oh... Uh... Yeah!"

I try to stand and nearly fall when my foot catches on the bench. Two arms hold me up so that I don't go tumbling to the floor.

"Hey Andi," I hear Seamus say from above me as I scramble up.

"Hey Seamus!" I answer a little too enthusiastically, "Going to the match today?"

He looks a little upset for a second and manages a sidelong glare at Harry, but then perks up and says, "Yeah, want to walk down with me?"

"Um, yeah sure."

We walk down to the pitch together and sit with Hermione and, unfortunately, Lavender in the stands as the rest of the Houses start to fill in the rest of the seats.

Half an hour after the game starts, I am feeling a bit nervous and have no idea why- just that I have to get back up to the castle- even though Ron is having some spectacular saves and Ginny has scored four of Gryffindor's six goals.

I give in to my temptation and turn to leave the pitch. A hand grabs my upper arm and I turn back.

"Where are you going?" Seamus asks, both him and Hermione have turned to stare at me.

"I- I am feeling... sick... So, I'm going to... go... back," I stutter out an answer.

They both look at me quizzically, but when Hermione shrugs I assume I'm okay and rush off toward the castle.

I run all the way back, not even thinking where my feet are taking me. By the end of my mad dash back to the castle, I have ended up in the seventh floor hallway right outside the normal entrance to where the room of requirements normally shows up. It's not there. And I don't feel like opening it, so I just turn back and head down the stairs, not knowing what I should do but head back to the game.

On the steps down to the first floor, right outside of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, I _almost _run through her. I stop right in front of her, fearing- somewhat- for my life, or ears. In first year, I accidentally walked throughher, it was awful. She wouldn't shut up and I felt so bad I sat through her crying for _three_ hours. Since then, I have unfortunately talked to her quite a bit. She cries- a lot!

"Hey Andi," she says looking a little sulky. I long ago learned not to ask why she looks so sad.

"Hi Myrtle."

"There's a boy crying."

I furl my eyebrows in confusion, "_What _boy?"

"The boy that comes in sometimes. He actually listens to me, so I listen to him."

"Myrtle: what boy?"

"He comes in and cries with me sometimes..." she talks on but all I can hear is the faint sound, coming from inside the bathroom, of crying.

I take a step toward the door, and Myrtle suddenly sweeps in front of me, in the way of the door, "He doesn't like people to be there when he cries," she says warningly.

"Oh please," I say pushing, well not pushing- just going around, past her through the door.

"Well, I am not disrespecting him!" I hear the distant squeak of her voice from outside.

Standing before me, as Myrtle had just said, is the dark outline of a tall, dressed in all black, boy leaning against a sink in the center of the darkly lit bathroom, crying. Unwittingly, I take a step forward- right into a puddle of water, no doubt some of Myrtle's tears. The boy turns sharply in the direction of the sound I have just made. I stay as still as I can in the shadows, grateful that I had chosen a dark jacket and jeans this morning.

As he turns, his hair is momentarily caught in a beam of light: platinum blond.

My breath catches as he takes a deep breath and shakily calls out, "Myrtle?"

I stay silent, not yet recognizing the voice.

"Who's there?" he continues shakily after the silence.

My breath catches. I know that voice!

Taking a careful step out of the shadows, "Draco?" I ask quietly.

He takes a step back into the light, "A- Andi?"

I nod solemnly.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, obviously trying to look as if he hadn't just been crying in the girls' bathroom.

"I- I heard you from outside. Myrtle tried to stop me... but, you know me," I ramble, ending with a nervous laugh.

He semi-smiles and makes a little laughing-snort sound, tears still streaming down his face, "I- I- It's not what it looks like," he manages before sinking to the floor with his hands covering his face.

I can't help it, he doesn't even look like the same prat that we all see in the halls. He looks so vulnerable, and young.

So, I walk over to where he is shaking with sobs- his face resting on his knees, his arms wrapped around them- and sit down next to him, hooking my arm around his shoulder.

"It's okay, Draco," I whisper quietly, yes I used his first name- again. I don't even know what I'm comforting him about yet.

He continues to cry, until we are _both_ wet. He rambles a little while he's crying, and I listen. No comments, or snide remarks: all ears.

Then he stops after half an hour or so, lifts his head, and looks down at me as if he's just realizing I'm still here.

"You can't tell anyone, okay?"

"This is your secret," I smile up at him, shrugging my free shoulder.

Yes, smile.

"We're even then."

"Yeah."

We sit for another five minutes, with our heads resting against the wall, before he says, "You know I'm sure the game is over by now... Seamus is probably looking for you."

"What? How did you-"

He shakes his head, as if warding off all questions.

"Okay, fine," I get up to leave.

"Andi?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

I nod and walk out the door for the Quidditch pitch.

As I arrive, students start piling out of the field: scarlet-and-gold clad one's looking the happiest, silver-and-green the most somber. I spot some of my friends among the crowd of cheerers and recognize Ron as the person they're holding on their shoulders. One scarlet-and-gold girl is looking the same as the Slytherin's and trailing behind the parade of victors.

"Hey Mione!" I call jogging over.

She looks up, "Hey Andi," she murmurs.

"What's got you so down?"

She looks up to the mass of Gryffindor's with Ron in the middle with Lavender. I cringe, Lavender looks pathetically in love with Ron- with her giant googly eyes, and he's just looking incredibly happy.

As the giant group reached the changing rooms, it dispersed, and Hermione says, "I'm going in to talk to them. I'll see you at the party." She smiles feebly then puts a grim expression on her face and walks into the changing rooms. I nod to myself and head up the the common room.

When I arrive the party is in full swing and the room is crowded with cheering kids. As I step into the room, I am nearly bowled over from behind as Ron comes charging in.

"Oi! Watch it Ron!"

"Sorry Andi." His face brightens and he steps into the throng of people.

"Andi!" I turn to my name.

"Hermione?"

She stands stock still behind me.

"What're you-" I turn to what she's staring at.

"Ah! My eyes!" In front of up are Ron and Lavender, pasted together, so close I can't tell who is who- other than the flame red hair of course.

I turn back to Hermione, to see her storming out the portrait hole. Harry follows her closely, sidestepping Romilda Vane on his way out. I try to follow, but Seamus steps between me and the portrait.

"Uh, hi Seamus," I say distractedly, looking at the portrait hole.

"Hi Andi, fancy seeing you here!"

I look at him skeptically, "At a _Gryffindor_ party, in the _Gryffindor _common room?"

He runs a hand through his hair- _why do guys always do that?_- and looks toward the ceiling, "Uh... yeah..."

I shake my head and sidestep him for the portrait hole, "See ya, Seamus."

I run out the portrait hole, slamming it behind me, "Hey watch it!" Fat Lady yells behind me as I dash down the corridor and up the stairs.

For some reason, my feet always take me to the Room of Requirements.

I walk the three paces thinking the room I want, and walk in.

"AH!" A loud scream sounds from somewhere in the room.

_You have got to be kidding me! Someone is in here again!_

I saunter over to the screamer's position and peer around the corner of bookcases filled with books I'm sure are banned in the library. A blond boy is in the process of punching a cabinet.

He steps back and yells, wand pointed at the cabinet, _"Incendio!"_

Instantly, the cabinet lights up in a brilliant blaze of bright orange fire.

Almost as instantly, it vanishes- leaving the cabinet untouched.

He's too busy to realize that I am standing behind him. So, when he raises his wand again and yells, _"Incendio!" _once more, I am ready.

Almost in sync with his incantation, I yell, _"Aguamenti!"_

My spell waters both Malfoy and the cabinet.

He doesn't lower his wand as he turns around, "What the fuck!"

I try, unsuccessfully, to stifle a laugh. He's standing in front of me dripping, his arms held a little away from his body looking very shiny from the water. And, the cabinet has now turned a dark mahogany color.

"You could have set this whole place on fire! My tricks would be gone! The only upside would be that maybe you'd die!" I yell angrily, though still smiling.

"I was working on something!"

"Yeah, I know that! Burning down everything in the room- including yourself!"

"I could give you a detention!"

"For what? I just _saved _you!"

"Your joke things are illegal here!"

"For Filch's happiness! Dumbledore doesn't care!"

"What the fuck!"

"I just saved you worthless life!"

"No you didn't! I was doing just fine without you!"

"You could have died! Don't you even care?"

"At least then I wouldn't have to do this!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm going to die if I fail! I might as well just die before I succeed! At least then _he _wouldn't get the damned satisfaction!"

"Who?"

"Him!"

"WHO?"

"Him," he murmurs, ending our shouting match, before dashing off toward the door.

I run after him, slamming the door behind me.

He bolts down seven flights of stairs and down the corridor to Myrtle's bathroom. I follow as close as I can behind him and arrive at the door to the bathroom right as he slams it in my face.

I try to open it but he's leaning against it.

"What? Now you're just going to cry because you can't set yourself on fire?"

No answer.

"Fine! See if I care!"

I stay as silent and still as I can on my side of the door- unfortunately i forgot to take my weight off the door.

He takes a step from the door inside and it swings in, faceplanting me on the floor in front of him.

"You breath really loud," he smirks.

"You cry a lot," I snap back as I push myself off the floor.

His smirk drops, "Do you care?"

"Pft! No!"

"That's exactly what someone who cares would say."

"Well, I don't. I just didn't really want to witness your death."

"Aw. You do care," his smirk reappears.

"No, I just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time to save your good-for-nothing life!"

"Speaking of which, don't you have a Gryffindor party to get back to?"

"Hah, get back to what? Ron snogging Lavender, Seamus trying to talk to me, Hermione disappointed, and Harry watching Ginny? No _thanks_!"

"Hanging in the girls' bathroom then?"

"Much better, though I'd rather be by the lake."

"That isn't an option."

"Oh? And, why not?"

"Because, I'm going to get there first."

"That doesn't mean I can't go."

"Fine. Let's go then."

I open the door and head back out into the hallway to the giant front doors and out to the lake.

"I forgot a jacket," I sulk when we step out into the freezing cold night air.

"Here, take mine," he says, pulling off his black leather jacket to uncover a tight long-sleeved dark-blue shirt, and draping it over my shoulders.

"Okay, thanks," I say slipping my arms into the sleeves as we reach the little clearing on the lake shore.

I walk over to the tree and sit with my back leaning against the trunk.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," I say as he sits down next to me.

"Doing what?"

"Wearing your jacket and sitting with you under a tree by the lake. My friends would kill me if they knew."

"Mine would too."

"You have friends? I thought they were merely minions."

He chuckles a little, "They're the closest I have."

"Aw... Damn, now I feel bad for you too!"

"Don't feel bad for me Andi. I am so much..."

"So much what?"

"I don't know. I'm happier now."

"Why? You were just trying to burn down a cabinet."

"You don't need to know," his blue-grey eyes look down into my green ones. I can't help but think: _What are you hiding from me? _Even though it isn't really any of my business.

"Why not?"

"You just don't. People that I don't want to know would know if I told you."

"Okay," I give in even though I'm skeptical.

We sit and watch the rest of the sun disappear behind the mountains and the colors disappear from the lake. Then, suddenly, its completely dark and quiet. Though I can hear the distant sounds of the party drifting over from the castle. My eyes start to feel drowsy and I start to nod off. I scooch down a little so I'm in a more comfortable position- which is probably not my smartest idea, since it probably encouraged sleep to overcome me.

I can distantly feel Malfoy shifting next to me, and I _subconsciously _drop my head onto his shoulder.


	7. Chapter Six

**Hey peplos! I guess Mondays are the days I shall update on! Fun times, fun times... Happy Last Day of the Year everybody! School's back in a week... woopie...**

**gotalife**

* * *

Chapter Six

I wake up the next morning, Sunday, sprawled across Malfoy's chest. I keep my eyes closed at first, thinking that I'm in my bed in my secluded bedroom at the top of the girls dormitory tower. Of course, that was until my "bed" shifted its position.

My eyes snap open, it's still somewhat shaded underneath the tree's branches that fall all the way to the ground surrounding the little clearing by the lake. The early sun's light is reflecting off the lake through the trees branches, lighting up the clearing just enough so I can see that it's actually a person that I thought was my bed...

It takes me a minute to remember what had happened last night. I came down here with: "Draco?"

He stirs a little and I bolt upright, off of his chest. My sudden movement startles him awake- just a little though.

"Come back to bed," he murmurs quietly.

My jaw drops as his arm comes up and gently pulls me back down onto his chest. I knew he was a "lady's man" but I didn't think he would go _this _far.

"Malfoy!" I whisper.

He wraps his arm around my back and pulls me a little closer to him.

"Malfoy!" I say a little louder.

A moan escapes his lips but, other than that, he remains still.

"Draco!"

"Yes?" he asks, starting to wake up.

"Draco! Wake up!"

"Why? We should just stay in bed," he responds groggily.

"We aren't _in _bed."

"Are we on the floor?"

"I guess you could say that. Can you let me go now?"

"What?"

"Let me go!"

His eyes flash open and his arm drops from my back.

"Thank you," I say sitting up.

"Irbane?"

"Surprised?"

"Mildly. I knew you couldn't resist me forever," he smiles.

"Trust me. _Nothing _happened."

"How do you know?"

"Look at where we are."

He sits up and looks around, "Oh. I was kidding anyway. Who'd want to do you?"

_Wow, that stings..._

"Yeah, thanks," I say as I stand and push my way through the branches, then run all the way back to the castle. I know it's going to sound like I'm a sissy, but there are tears streaming down my face as I run. I quickly wipe them away with the jacket I forgot I was wearing.

Behind me, I hear him call "I didn't mean it!"

But, I don't stop, I press on.

Up at the castle, I charge up the stairs through the Gryffindor common room and up the stairs the my room. Slipping off the jacket, I stuff it into the depths of my trunk, then walk out onto the balcony that connects to my room- I'm so lucky, my room is the only one with a balcony.

Leaning against the beautiful railing I look down at the lake, and, to my surprise, see Malfoy angrily throwing rocks into its depths. He tries to skip a few of the rocks- failing miserably- then turns and stalks back up to the castle.

From far above him, I'm sure he couldn't see me watching him, but he looked up at the tower and I felt like he could see me standing there.

Another week passed, I acted normal: ignored and avoided Malfoy, spent time in the library doing homework, and spent time with my friends- well, not Ron when Hermione was around, and not Hermione when Ron was around.

I am now sitting on my bed on a Saturday night, listening to the pouring rain and reading a book, instead of hanging out with my friends. My reason was because I have homework- which was a lie, I have actually finished my homework for once, I just couldn't take another afternoon in the company of Ron and Lavender and their totally fake love for each other. Well, Lavender's is real enough, but I can tell Ron's isn't- every time Hermione is around he's staring at her from a corner on the opposite side of the room. Kind of creepy, but then, Lavender is creepier.

I am just sitting here reading my book, _The Commitments _by Roddy Doyle, on my bed.

"Knock, knock!" comes a voice from outside my door, startling me.

I look up from my book and head over to the door that leads to the stairs, opening it, I see no one there. I turn back to my bed after locking my door and catch a glimpse of the french doors out to my balcony: someone is standing _on _my balcony!

Slowly, I walk over to the doors. Outside, standing in the rain on my balcony is Draco Malfoy.

Shocked, I choke up a, "What are you doing here, ferret!"

"Stop yelling, someone will hear you, and open the door!"

"No one will hear me! My room is soundproofed. Give me a reason to let you in," I say, crossing my arms.

"Please, I need to talk to you."

"Why do you need to talk to me?"

"Please let me in, it's really cold out here. Or do you want to witness me dying?"

"I should be okay with you dying in front of me..." I say as I unlatch the door and open it for him to walk in. He walks in, leaving puddles in his wake.

"Is this room really sound-proofed?"

"Not magically, it's just built that way so you can only hear what's going on in the room from right outside the door. Why are you here Malfoy? How did you get here? How did you know where my room is?"

"To talk. Broom. Overheard talking, and saw you up here last weekend."

What do you want to talk about?" I ask, sitting back down on my bed.

"Um..."

"You have five-seconds before I throw you off the balcony."

"You wouldn't be able to do that."

"Try me. Five..."

Silence.

"Four."

More silence.

"Three."

He shifts on his feet.

"Two," I say grabbing my wand and getting off my bed.

"Alright, alright," he says putting his hands in front of him in defense.

"One," I finish, pointing my wand at him.

"Put it down," he says defensivly, "And, I'll talk."

I lower my wand, "Talk or walk."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I know that I said the wrong thing."

"When?"

"Down by the shore, last Sunday."

I stay silent, waiting for him to explain himself, or something- anything!

He stares at me for a moment, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"Why are you saying sorry to me? What does it matter to you how _anyone_, especially _me_, feels?"

"Because you're different. I was scared."

"Scared of what?" He's starting to get on my nerves with this damned general terms crap.

"I don't know. I was just scared."

"That doesn't help."

"You... you... you're different."

"Gee thanks," I hope he can hear the sarcasm.

"I'm sorry! And, I don't understand why!"

"I don't either!" I yell.

"Please, just accept the apology."

"Fine. I accept your apology." I leap back onto my bed.

"Can I sit?"

"Dry off, first."

He nods and takes out his wand, whispers something and dries within seconds, then walks over and sits next to me on the bed.

"You know you shouldn't be up here, right?"

"You shouldn't have let me."

"Do you _want _to get kicked out?"

"Not particularly."

"So, how did you know this room is mine?"

"I heard Seamus talking about it in the great hall when you weren't there, and you confirmed it for me when I saw you watching me walk back from the lake."

"How could you tell it was me?"

"I don't know. I just figured."

"Oh. What time is it?" I ask looking out the window,as if would tell me.

"Around eleven."

"What!"

"Yup, eleven."

"Wow..."

"Hey Andi," a knock comes from the stairway and we both jump.

"Oh shit!" I think outloud.

Malfoy looks confused as to where he should go, so I point to my bathroom. He runs in there and I walk over to the door, unlock it, and open it to Hermione.

"Hey Mione, what's up?" I ask cautiously.

"Can you believe Ron?" she asks, stepping in my room before bursting into tears.

I look at her confused, "Um... no?"

"I know! He just goes around flaunting her!"

_Oh..._

"Yeah, he's horrible."

"So you're on my side?

"I'm on the right side. And, Lavender is on the wrong side. That's all I know," I shrug.

She looks at me a little confused, "So you _are _on my side?"

"I'm on the side opposite of Lavender."

She rushes over and hugs me, squeezing the breath out of me, "I knew you'd know right from wrong! Harry is trying to stay neutral."

"Y-eah th-at's thuh ide-uh..." I breath out, trying to get enough air to breath at the same time. Even though I am a good four-or-so inches taller than her, she's doing a good job of choking me.

"Thanks Andi, I'm glad you understand. I feel much better now," she says letting go, then turns and gently closes the door behind her.

I now feel more confused than I had before she explained.

Malfoy quietly comes out of the bathroom, "Girls are so confusing sometimes."

I nod in response.

"Maybe I should leave now?"

I shrug.

"What? You want me to stay?"

_To be honest, I wouldn't mind it. _But, all I do is shrug again.

He looks confused now.

"Well, if you stay you can sleep on the floor," I say, trying to clear up his confusion.

"Okay," he says and sits down at the end of my bed as I climb into it.

We stay where we are for about an hour, until I hear some rustling in the darkness and his shape climbs onto my bed.

"WhadidIsay?" I slur.

"It was uncomfortable down there," he whispers.

"Fine," I concede.

"Good night Andi," he murmurs.

"Good night," I mumble back.

Another couple minutes and the world goes dark.

I wake up in the early morning and feel a giant sense of déjà vu as I realize I am once again laying with my head and arm resting on and across Malfoy's chest. _At least this time I'm in my bed... _Oh SHIT!

"Malfoy!"

He grumbles but doesn't wake up immediately.

"Malfoy! Wake up!"

"What?" he grumbles.

"You have to get up before someone comes up to get me!"

"What?"

"Get up or I will push you off my bed!"

"Oh, no need to be so pushy," he smiles at his own lame joke and wipes his eyes, sitting up and revealing his muscular chest.

"Ah! What happened to your shirt?"

"It was my pillow," he explains, "It's down there."

I slip out of bed and scoop up his shirt, handing it to him as I usher him out once more into the light rain on the balcony.

"Have a nice trip to wherever!" I say before slamming the door and running over to my trunk for a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt.

Quickly stripping, I pull them on before turning back to the door to see Malfoy staring in.

My cheeks instantly flare up, I can actually feel the blood rushing in as I run over to the doors and yell for him to get going. He grabs his broom with a giant smile on his face and flies off with a quick wave. I head back inside and down the stairs for breakfast.

As the weeks pass, I start spending more time with Malfoy, or with Hermione, or just by myself, to get away from the glue that is Ron and Lavender and the North-to-North magnets that are Hermione and Ron.

It's not as if I intended for this to happen, he's just kind of _there_. Mostly, we run into each other by the lake, sometimes in the library, and, on occasion, in the Room of Requirements. We're still only there together, we are _not _friends. I do spend a lot of time with Harry and Hermione or just by myself, as well.

I keep wondering what's going to happen for Christmas, which is fast approaching. Since Hermione and Ron aren't speaking and we were all planning on going to the Burrow for Christmas.

As we walk to Potions class, Harry and Ron- finally no Lavender- are discussing, or rather Ron is complaining, about Hermione and Slughorn's Slug Club Christmas party.

"I never promised Hermione anything, sure, maybe I said I would go to Slughorn's party with her- but that was as friends! I am a free agent!"

It's about the twentieth time I've heard that line and I've had enough of it, "Ron! If you feel the need to complain about Hermione and you _not _going to Slughorn's party together- a party which you aren't even invited to- go take it up with her! But, don't complain about it to Harry and me! We don't want to hear! I, personally, have had enough! Lavender is just plain annoying! I'd rather have Malfoy around all the time than her! And, unfortunately, I got her!"

For a second, Ron looks shocked at what I've said, and just stands staring at me, from behind him I can see Harry grinning.

"Oh close your whiny mouth, Ron."

"So, you're taking her side on this?" he asks angrily.

"No, I'm not. She just happens to be on the same anti-Lavender side as I am." Harry is still grinning like an idiot behind him.

"Well then, why don't you just stop hanging out with us?"

"You know what?" I ask matter-of-factly, "I will. See you later Harry," I say just before turning and walking the rest of the way to the class by myself, until I see Hermione, that is.

When I see her I break out into the same stupid grin as Harry had on his face, "Hey Hermione!"

"Hey Andi..."

"Guess what?"

"By the look of you, you just came from something very happy. Harry?"

"And?"

She sighs, "Ron?"

"I told him exactly what I thought about Lavender," she grins as I continue, "Then I walked away."

"At least _someone _finally told him where to stick it! What did he say?"

"Let's just say: I'm playing on the same pitch as you are," I smile as we walk into class.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Hello everybody! First chapter of the new 2013 year! Woopie! Thank you everyone that has Favorited/followed/reviewed my story _or_ me. Thank you thank you thank you! I hope you're all still reading this. Sorry about the occasional swearing in the story... I keep forgetting to warn about that. This is also the longest chapter I have posted so far! Yay!**

**gotalife**

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Chapter Seven

"So, you _are _going to Slughorn's party? Who asked you?"

"Are you trying to imply that someone wouldn't?"

"Well, did they?"

"No."

"Gate crashing?"

"No."

"How then?"

"Catering. Me and Neville are working at the party together. I have to wear a stupid dress. I hate dresses."

"I'm not surprised," Malfoy says before bursting into laughter in the _library_.

"Shut up, pig face! We are in the library!"

"Hah! You're working at Slughorn's party?"

"Yes, I need some money for Christmas."

"I'm _still _not surprised!" he smirks.

I look at him incredulously.

"It's not as if my dad actually helps my mum with any of the 'money' things. You're better off than most people."

He snorts, "Well, not everyone."

"Of course, there _are_ exceptions."

"So, is that thing tonight?"

"Unfortunately."

He hums thoughtfully then turns back to his essay for DADA.

"What?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself about."

"Fine. Whatever," I get up to leave, "Come on, Coal."

"See ya."

"No promises."

I start to walk out of the library until I notice that Coal is not by my feet. Turning back to Malfoy I see Coal sitting in the seat next to him, purring... Odd.

"You little traitor," I say walking back over to him and scooping him up.

"Later Andi."

"Still no promises," I smirk.

Hermione leads the way up the stairs to my room.

"Mione, I don't understand why I have to look nice. I'm not invited to the party, I'm the _help._"

"Slughorn will be sorry he didn't let you into the club, that's why."

"I wouldn't have joined the club even if he _did _want me."

She marches over to my trunk and starts rifling through it for the red dress I'm supposed to wear, but instead pulls out the black leather jacket I forgot was in there.

I try not to choke (on air) as she examines the jacket, probably looking for clues as to who it belongs to.

"Andi, whose jacket is this?" she questions when she obviously doesn't have an original answer.

"Oh, you know... Just a guy's. he lent it to me when it was really cold and I just haven't given it back yet," I shrug. It was pretty much the truth after all.

"Oh. Well, you should give it back."

_Yeah, not gonna happen now that you've seen it._

"Oh! Here's your dress! Are you going to wear nice shoes with it? It's all wrinkled!"

"No."

"Really, why not?"

"Because I'm working at the party, not invited."

She shakes her head disappointedly and hands me the red v-neck dress. I take it and head into the bathroom. Zipping it up, I look in the mirror to see my reflection, what I see mildly surprises me: a modestly deep v-neckline, crisscross satin bandage on the bodice, coming down to about mid-thigh, all in a very dark black. _Why do they make the help wear these things? It's so demeaning... Neville better be wearing something similar or I'm bringing this up with Slughorn. _I walk out into my room to the eagerly waiting eyes of Hermione.

"You look lovely!" she claps.

"I'm the help, I'm supposed to look invisible."

"You'll manage."

"Would you like a drink, sir?" I ask a portly man standing in the corner. He looks at the tray I'm carrying and his gaze wanders upwards to my dress.

I catch him and snap, "Hey! Watch it! I am underaged!"

I turn, see Neville on the other side of the room and dash over to him.

"What! Where's your skimpy red dress?" I ask disappointed when I see that he's just wearing a white button down shirt and black pants.

He laughs a little, "Do you want my coat? You don't look very comfortable."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay thanks," I say as he shrugs off his coat and hands it over to me.

"Young lady, the dress code for this party is exactly what you came in, give him back his jacket," Slughorn says waving at the jacket.

"What! Are you kidding me? Only the girls are in these things!"

He looks bewildered at my outburst, but just waves to the coat before running off, "Harry, m'boy!"

I turn back to Neville, "I can't believe a teacher wants us to look like bints! I'll be right back, I'm going to go change. Can you cover me please?"

I don't give him time to answer before running off into the hallway to where I stashed my change of clothes in a bag behind one of the pillars along the corridor, then up the stairs to the seventh floor bathroom.

I make a sharp turn and crash into someone, luckily they're like a wall so I don't fall. Backing up to look them in the face, I see that the wall is Snape.

Crap.

"_What_ are you wearing?" he asks sardonically.

"All the girls working at Slughorn's party have to wear this."

"What's in your bag?"

I look down at the clothes I have bundled in the bag, "A change of clothes, I'm going to wear what the guys are wearing."

"Fine. Carry on," he waves his arm in dismissal.

_Well, that was not very fatherly of you!_

I carry on down the corridor to the bathroom, quickly change, stash the dress under a sink, and run back to the party.

"What took you so long?" Neville questions as I take my tray from him.

"Ran into Snape."

"Oh."

In the corner I can see Harry trapped between Slughorn, Trelawney, and Luna; so, I decide to walk over and free him. Snape walks up to the group as I meander my way across the room.

"Professor Slughorn!" I recognize Filch's voice from behind me as I approach Harry, "I found this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him an invitation?"

I turn to see Malfoy shrug out of Filch's grip, and barely manage to stifle a laugh- he looks furious and _very _embarrassed.

He recognizes me and turns an even brighter shade of red as he angrily says, "All right, I wasn't invited! I was trying to gatecrash, happy?"

I try once more to suppress another laugh, this time not quite successful as one escapes my lips.

He glances at me quickly and I decide to step out of the way before I get in trouble for something. Walking back over to where Neville is standing, I stop and watch the dispute take place: Harry is staring at Malfoy, Slughorn looks happy to let someone stay, and Snape and Filch look kind of like they want to skin Malfoy. A minute later, I see Snape dragging him off and Harry trying to follow sneakily behind them.

"Well, that's odd," Neville says from beside me, obviously seeing where I was looking.

"Snape was offering him help?" I ask curiously, "For what?"

"Dunno, he wouldn't say. But, they mentioned an Unbreakable Vow," Harry shrugs.

I can feel my stomach drop to my feet as we walk down the to the Hogsmeade train station, but I stay silent as we near the platform where students wait for the train. I see Ron ahead of us and feel the urge to walk over to him and see what he thinks- but we aren't talking right now and I am _not _going to be the first to give in. Instead, I look around the platform for Hermione.

Upon spotting her, I excuse myself before we reach Ron and head over to Hermione.

"Hey Hermione! Are you going home for the holidays?"

"Yeah, I'm coming home right after Christmas though so I can get ahead on work."

"Right after? Wow. I was planning on staying home until just before New Years and coming back here to spend it with my friends."

"Really? What day are you coming back?"

"I'm not sure yet. They need to have enough students going back to actually bother sending the train. I mean, it makes sense, why send a train for one kid when the kid could wait a couple days instead?"

"Oh. I'm coming back on the twenty-ninth."

"Sounds good. I'll see if I can get a seat for that day," I say as we turn to the platform to see the train arriving.

"Andi? Andi it _is _you!" I hear a shout from within the crowd of parents waiting as I jump off the train at the station.

Looking up, I see my uncle- more like an older brother- running toward me with his arms outstretched. I set down my luggage and run to meet him.

"Hunter!"

"Andi!" he yells in my ear as we reach each other, then scoops me up in a bear-hug and spins me around. Sometimes I wish I was as lucky as my mum and got an older brother half as cool as Hunter is. But, that's wishful thinking of the unexpected child of two people that were never destined to be together. I mean I do have a _half_-brother.

He sets me down and my mum swings in to finish off the hug.

"Andi! How was the beginning of your sixth year?"

"It was great! Where's Austin and Logan?" _Oh right, did I forget to mention that? _I do technically have a brother, as I mentioned, his name is Austin Gavin Irbane-Stuart. My little, awesome, six year old brother. My mum is _not _a lonely old wacko witch, as I'm sure some people think, she has a "partner" that goes by the name of Lennox Logan Stuart, more commonly known as Logan though. He's been in my life since before I was born. He and my mum were in the same year at Hogwarts, both Gryffindors too. And, ever since Snape _left_ the picture, they've been at an on-again-off-again thing until eight years ago when they decided to settle down.

"They're at home," Hunter says breaking into my thoughts.

"Home?" I look at him quizzically and he blushes a little bit.

"Hunter's staying the holiday's with us!" my mum exclaims excitedly.

"Paige..." Oh right, my mum's first name is Paige, but she goes by her middle name.

"You know, mum, I might be going back early so Hermione isn't all alone for New Years."

Her face falls, "Oh. I thought you wanted to stay all of vacation."

"It's nothing. We can talk about it later. Let's go home," I put on a big smile and start the walk toward the door.

"You'll never guess what I did!" Hunter exclaims from behind me.

"Do I have to guess? I'll probably never get it."

"Yes, I insist."

"Took a dragon for a ride, boiled a pot of stew without magic, turned Austin's hair purple," I continue spouting random things he may actually do someday until he stops me.

"No! I got a Muggle driver's license!"

I stop dead in my tracks and he barrels into me, nearly knocking me over, "You got a _what_?" I ask in disbelief. Of all the things I thought he might do, that is on the bottom of the list.

"Muggle driver's licence!"

"Why? You're barely ever here."

"Eh," he shrugs, "You never know when you might need some of this stuff."

I run through the door into the house. As usual, since mum loves to bake, the smell of cookies greets me as I stop for a breath.

A short dark-brown haired monster comes barreling towards me from as soon as I stop.

"Shorty!" I bend down on my knees to accept the giant-for-a-small-person hug I receive from my little brother.

"Andi!" he squeals.

"Austin!" I pick him up, potato-sack him over my shoulder and walk through to the kitchen.

He starts struggling a little as I set him down.

"Did you bring me a pasty?"

"I did!" I dig into my pocket, take out a candy I had picked up in Hogsmeade before the train, and hand it over to his outstretched palms.

"Andi! You're home!" I hear a deep masculine voice, owned by Logan, behind me and turn to say hello.

He embraces me in a hug.

"Hey Logan! How's your life been?" I ask a bit awkwardly.

"Daddy!" we break apart as we hear the excited screech from Austin. Turning back to him, I see that he is holding out the candy I got him to show his father what I brought for him.

"You got him a candy, but not me?" Logan turns to me with a fake pout.

"I bought everyone a candy!" I defend myself.

Christmas morning, I wake up around four o'clock with a little whispering in my ear from a small, annoying-at-four-in-the-morning boy.

"Andi, Andi, Andi! Wake up, Andi!" Austin whispers in my ear. His hot breath in my ear jolting me awake.

"Okay, okay, kid! I'm up."

Just then, to add to my already hectic early morning, a small, speckled, black-and-white owl flies through my open window.

Austin gasps, "Skittle!" he squeaks loudly.

"Who's this, Austin?"

"This is Skittle," he explains as he rushes over to the small owl and takes the small package from its beak, "Thank you, Skittle."

The bird ruffles its wings then takes off into the early morning sky.

"Don't you give him a treat?"

"He doesn't like them. He catches mice instead."

He starts unwrapping the package until I stop him, "Hey buddy, maybe you should wait until mum is up."

"Merry Christmas!" I hear right before a giant figure flops onto my bed, right on top of me.

"Ugh! Hunter!" I gasp for breath underneath him. As good of shape as he is in, he's still really heavy at four in the morning when I haven't woken up yet.

"Come on kids! Let's get your mum up!"

"You two do that, I'll be out in a little." They sprint out into the hallway and down toward my mum's room as I slowly crawl out of my bed.

My window is still open and I don't really want snow in my room, so, I head over to the window to close it- right as another owl lands on the window sill. This time, it's a large speckled brown eagle owl that looks very angry- and dangerous. I scoot slowly over to it and take the envelope in its beak. Holding the envelope out in the light from the window, I see my name scrawled on the front.

The angry owl pecks my shoulder.

"Ow! Stupid bird!" I rub my shoulder and head over to my desk for an owl treat. The giant, angry eagle owl takes off the second after I hand it the treat. Leaving me alone to ponder the envelope.

"Andi!" I hear a voice from the lounge calling my name, and a small scuffle of feet toward my door. I don't know why, but, I panic and hide the envelope under my mattress right before Austin comes barging, once again, into my room.

"Andi!" he stomps his foot in determination and pulls my arm.

"I'm coming."

He tugs on my arm again and I follow him into the lounge.

Mum is just coming out from behind the tree with a couple of presents as Logan and Hunter fight over what color the lights should be.

"Would you two relax? You're acting like toddlers," mum says as she sets the presents down in front of the couch.

Austin runs around the couch, plops himself in front of the pile of gifts and starts separating his out.

I sit behind him on the couch and zone out thinking about the letter.

"Andi," Hunter's voice breaks through my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to open yours?"

I take the small pile, all of the piles are small once Austin separates them, and start to open the biggest one- I like to save the smallest for last. All of the one's sitting around are for and from family members- one's from friends usually arrive throughout the day.

By the end of the family presents I have a green-and-yellow striped knit hat from mum; a moving picture of Hunter, Calypso, Alexandre, and my mum in a pretty silver frame from Hunter; _The Flying Squad _by Edgar Wallace from Logan; and _Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans _from Austin.

Nothing from Snape though. Before leaving Hogwarts, I snuck into his office- like I do every year- and left him a red and gold pin wrapped in green and silver paper. I know the irony of my gift.

"Thank you everyone," I say, a little disappointedly, before picking it all up and heading back to my room.

Behind me, I hear Hunter call my name, but mum quiets him by saying, "Just let her go."

It's not that I don't appreciate their gifts, I do. It's just that I always wish that Snape would at least send me a note. I try to cheer myself up, after all, there is a whole day ahead that he can send it during!

Instead of going back to the living room once I've cheered up, I decide it's time to see who the envelope is from. I lift up the mattress and search around for it with my arm, pull it out carefully to examine the envelope, then tear it open.

I unfold the parchment and see the same squished scrawl extending down the page.

I sit back on my bed and start to read:

_Andi,_

_I know you're not expecting this letter. I wasn't exactly planning on writing it- or sending it. I mean, it's not normal, is it? A Slytherin actually contacting a Gryffindor. Especially with you being Potter's friend. Actually, this might be a stupidly dangerous thing for me to do. What if he sees this? Damn! I'm so stupid. Fuck! I wrote that in ink! Why did I just write that? Oh Merlin, you're making me insane, Andi. And, I don't know why. If I send this, I want an equally insane answer._

_I'm staying at Hogwarts this Christmas- normally I wouldn't bother, but I have important work. I go and sit in that lakeside place. It's nice and quiet there, no one harping on me to get my work finished. No one threatening death. It's a nice place. _

_Sometimes, I can't get you out of my head. (I don't know why I'm saying that if I'm sending this to you). You're different, that's all I know. But, you're still somehow friends with Potter and Weasley. Why aren't you a Slytherin? It would make sense with your father. It would make things so much easier. We could actually be friends._

_Draco M._

I sit there a little confused for a second. Why would he bother writing me a letter if all he's going to do is rant about what's wrong with who _I _am? Rant about yourself, Malfoy! I slip off my bed and place the letter and envelope under the false bottom in one of the desk drawers- I never thought they would come in handy until now- and take out a piece of parchment and a quill. Sitting back on my bed I write a response:

_Malfoy,_

_I wasn't aware that people who are not friends bother writing letters to one another. But, I suppose if that is how you see it, we aren't friends. Officially. _

_Why are you spending your Christmas at Hogwarts? What about your family? You should be with them, shouldn't you? So, you're getting death threats? Does it have something to do with the Unbreakable Vow?! _

_I already know that the lakeside clearing is a "nice" place. I found it. Why would I find a "bad" place? You know you followed me there that day. I know it too. Don't worry I won't tell any of your real "friends"._

_I don't understand what you're trying to say. You want to be friends? You don't? We can't because of our houses?_

_I'll never do this but I have a crazy idea that would be worse than being friends. My uncle would call it "lovers". Blech. Don't worry, it won't happen: friends or anything else._

_As for Harry seeing the letter: he won't. Plain and simple. Right now even Austin would be hard pressed to find it (it's hidden in a false bottom in my desk). And, when we get back to school I am hiding it in my trunk- like I did with your jacket. I still have that, by the way._

_There is my "equally insane" answer. Lots of quotations._

_Merry Christmas, Andi_

Right as I finish sealing the envelope and writing his name on it, a snowy white owl lands on my window sill.

"Hedwig! I have a parcel for Harry and the Weasley's for you."

She looks a little annoyed that she has to take anything back- she'll really be pissed when I ask her to go to Hogwarts...

She holds out her foot with the small package attached. I untie it and place it on the floor beside me.

Holding up the envelope, I ask, "Hey, Hedwig, would you mind taking this to Hogwarts for me?"

She looks at me murderously, and I actually get a little scared she'll try for my eyes, "Fine. Here's their parcels."

I tie the two small parcels to her leg and she takes off into the early morning sky.

"Skittle!" I yell out of the window. He rushes for the window and nearly falls off the sill when he lands, "Real smooth, Skits. I need you to take this envelope to Draco Malfoy. He's at Hogwarts. Stay until he gives you an answer. And, if he doesn't take it: peck him! Got it?"

He stares at me incredulously, but lifts his leg anyway. I quickly attach it and he takes off.

I pick up the parcel from Harry and rip it open. Inside is a green knit scarf from Mrs. Weasley, and green journal from Harry. Upon opening the green journal, I discover a quick note from Harry:

_Merry Christmas Andi! I know you like reading your books, so I thought you could write your own. Enjoy, Harry_

I smile as I finish reading his note, he knows me so well. I am startled to hear a scuffling from my window sill once again, looking over I see Hedwig.

"Back so soon?"

She just holds out her leg. I untie the parcel and give her a treat, she sits on the sill as I fetch Hermione's present.

"Here Hedwig, this is Hermione's," I say as I tie it to her leg. She ruffles her feathers and takes off.

I sit back on my bed and open Hermione's gift. Inside is a very fine looking, blue feather quill and a note saying Merry Christmas.

_Wow, they must have corroborated on their presents..._

I pick up the other presents and take them through to the lounge to show Hunter and Austin what my friends have sent me.

"Where's the one from Ron?" Hunter asks after I've shown them.

"Can I write in your book!" Not really a question or a demand, Austin knows I won't let him.

"Well, uh... Ron is angry with me and Hermione. Hermione and him both did some stupid things, and I chose Hermione's side. Well, technically, I was against Lavender's side from the beginning," I explain for Hunter.

"Oh," he exaggerates the oh.

"Mummy! When is breakfast?" Austin yells from inside a box Logan enlarged for him.

"Soon!" It would be quicker if she just used magic for cooking, but she likes to cook the Muggle-way, so it takes forever.

I shake my head a little, scoop up the gifts and head back to my room.

An envelope is waiting on my desk when I walk in. I'm kind of ashamed, but, I race myself over to the desk to see who it's from.

Same writing as earlier this morning, almost three hours ago. Skittle's pretty quick...

I pick it up and tear it open:

_Merry Christmas to you too, Irbane._

_You shouldn't know this stuff. It's more of stuff you talk about face-to-face, you know? It's dangerous stuff. I'm not going to put you in that position._

_I did not follow you there. You just happened to be ahead of me on the trail. It was an interesting night nonetheless. No one has ever stolen one of my jackets before, especially someone who isn't planning on toting it around during class bragging about how we did some things we haven't. It has happened before- just not a jacket. _

_Hopefully you're right about Potter not finding the letter. I'm not afraid of him or anything- I just have enough to deal with already._

_And, no way am I EVER going to be your "lover". That is such an old-fashioned name, the least you can do is call it "sweetheart". But, even that is too much._

_Who is Austin?_

_Malfoy_

I put this letter in the same place as the other when I finish reading it and take out a piece of parchment for a return letter.

_Merry Christmas DRACO (better?),_

_Merry Christmas, indeed_. _If you see Snape, punch him for me, will you? If you can get down to Hogsmeade you can apparate (if you know how) out to the town near me- then we can talk. Better yet, so you don't get in trouble, I'll have my mum apparate into Hogsmeade and we can meet in the Hog's Head. Be there around five this evening. I did not steal your jacket; but, now that you've said that, I am keeping it. No, nevermind, I'll bring it with me. And, yes, you followed me. Get over it. I have. Is someone a little jealous? Austin is my brother._

_ANDI_

I check the clock quickly to see the time, nine o'clock- wow, Christmas morning passes _super_ fast. Sarcasm, of course. Eight hours to convince mum to take me to Hogsmeade.

I seal the envelope, call for Skittle and send him on his merry way back to Hogwarts with the same instructions as last time.

"Mum!" I call as I walk out to the kitchen.

"Yeah Andi?" she asks, not looking up from the stove, where she's making pancakes.

"Can we go to Hogsmeade today?"

"Andi, I don't think so, it's Christmas. You're going back soon anyway."

"But! I _need _to go!"

"Why?"

"Mummy, I wanna go to Hogsmeade!" Austin intervenes. _Thank you, kid!_

Mum looks at that moment like she might give in just to indulge him, so I decide to add to it, "I said I would meet a friend."

"Who?" she asks, looking up from Austin and her cooking.

"You don't know them. But, they're all alone for Christmas," I try to avoid using the term "he", that would probably result in an automatic "no".

Coal comes in at that moment and rubs my leg, I pick him up and pretend to be him, "Yeah, Jane! Let Andi go meet her friend!" I squeak in a voice I can't imagine Coal ever having.

Mum looks disapproving for a moment, but cracks a smile and says, "Yeah, sure. Fine. I will take you and your brother. Logan and Hunter can stay here and do the cooking for dinner."

Hunter groans from his seat beside the kitchen counter, and Logan walks in to hear the last couple words.

"What are you cooking for dinner, Janie?"

"Hah! Listen better Logan. I said _you _and _Hunter_," she points to them for emphasis, "are making dinner. I am taking the kids to Hogsmeade."

"I would hardly call myself a _kid_," I say, crossing my arms.

"Kiddo, you aren't seventeen for another two months."

"Only two though! Two and _one _day!"

"Very precise counting," she nods.

"Call me when breakfast is ready, mum!" I say before running back to my room. I know it's kind of anti-social for Christmas Day, but I have things I'm expecting.

I walk into my room and immediately look at my desk, on it Skittle is standing with a letter.

I take it from him, and he flies off all it says is:

_I'll be there. _

I don't know why, but, I smile.

"Okay Andi. When will you come find us?"

"It'll be awhile. I'll meet you in Rosmerta's."

"Bye Andi!" Austin yells after me as I walk away. I made sure I didn't mention exactly where I am going to meet Malfoy so she can't follow me there. That would be awful.

It's snowing fairly heavily and getting progressively darker as I walk down the main streets on my way to Hog's Head, and I am completely soaked through by the time I reach the pub.

As I walk through the door, I can hear the loud squishy noise that my sneakers make on the floor every step I take. I hang my dank jacket on a hook by the door and shuffle over to where Aberforth is standing behind the bar.

"Andi," he starts gruffly, "I told you last year, I don't want lakes in my pub."

"Sorry Aberforth. It's really snowing out there. Can I get a butterbeer, please?"

He holds out his hand for payment. I shake my head, "Sorry, Aberforth, you know I don't do that."

He grumbles something under his breath and turns to get the mug of butterbeer for me. Turning back to me, he simultaneously gives me the butterbeer and takes my money.

I turn around to assess where everyone is in the pub. No one in the pub looks approachable until I see a wisp of platinum blond hair peeking out of one of the booth seats. I jump off the stool I am sitting in and head over to where the person I assume is Malfoy is sitting.

"Merry Christmas, Lonely."

He glances up from his butterbeer looking surprised.

"Surprised?" I ask as I sit down across from him.

"No," he semi-slurs.

I notice this little fact and look at him concerned, when he doesn't notice, I ask "How many of those have you had?"

"A few."

"You decided to get drunk on Christmas. Great job," I pull his butterbeer away from him. He grabs my wrist to stop me.

"Andi, don't."

"Malfoy, you don't need another. I'll finish mine and walk you back up to the castle. It's then that I notice he doesn't have a jacket or a scarf or a hat or _anything _with him.

"Let me finish mine then."

"Fine," I give in and push it back toward him. We both gulp the rest of our drinks.

I stand and help him out of his seat- he nearly falls flat on his face.

"Oh Draco." I pull his arm around my shoulder to help him walk- and stand- as we head for the door.

It takes us nearly an hour to get up to the castle with him in his incapacitated state. I know I should be angry with him for getting drunk _before _I was even there. But, instead, I just feel bad for him. Maybe I can understand why he did it. I mean he's away from his family on Christmas, he has to work on whatever his project is, and he's all alone.

We work our way slowly down to the staircases, past the Dungeon corridor, to the Slytherin common room, under his command- since I don't know where it is.

"We're here," he slurs sleepily.

"I won't listen to the password. Are there any Slytherins here?"

He shakes his head lazily, "All home with families. Pure-blood."

At first, I'm confused but then a passage appears from behind a stone wall. I lead him down it into the dungeon-like room with green lamps and windows underwater common room.

He makes a weak jerking motion towards another passage possibly leading to his room. I help him through and up a small staircase to a room with a single bed and desk. Large windows line the walls, out of them I can see creatures in the lake, we're underwater. I lead him over to his bed and lay him down as gently as I can.

He grumbles something and I sit on the bed next to him.

"Andi," he says quietly.

"Mhmm?"

"Stay."

For a second, I wish I could. But, I shake my head- an action he can't see me do, "I can't Draco. I have to go home."

"Please." There's a word you don't hear too often from him.

"No, Draco, I can't. I'm sorry."

"Andi," he breaths my name, I can hear his breathing regulate a couple seconds later. I pull off his jacket and lay it over him, then start my walk back to Hogsmeade.


	9. Chapter Eight

**You know, readers, sometimes I really want to give you guys more than one chapter a week- but then, it occurs to me, I wouldn't be able to finish enough chapters. Because, I usually take a couple days to write the chapter and then I review/edit it. Plus, my school's track season has just "officially" started, so there's going to be less time for me to write. Worry not though! I will- hopefully- always get them to you on Mondays!**

**Until we meet again, may the force be with you! (heh heh, I know, it's the wrong series...)**

**gotalife**

* * *

Chapter Eight

"Hey Mum, I'm thinking about going back to Hogwarts a little earlier than I originally said I would," I say, staring out the kitchen window into the snow outside.

"What! Andi! You said you'd stay!"

"Yeah, but, my friend is real- my friend is alone up there."

"Andi! You can't keep changing plans! It doesn't work for the family!"

For some reason her saying family kind of pisses me off, "Mum! We are not a family! We are a bunch of people that are blood related! My father is never here- you never even tried to work with him! Austin's father _lives _here- like a roommate! And, Hunter pops in-and-out!"

"Andi! Me and your father _never _would have worked! We are a family!"

"No! We are not! Austin at least needs better than I had! If Logan wanted to, he could walk out on you two! Why haven't you gotten married or something! Hunter and Austin are _my _closest family members!" I really shouldn't have gone that far... I can see tears forming in her eyes so I run to my room, locking it behind me- not that that will work against magic.

I pull out my trunk, slam it on my bed- awakening Coal- and start throwing my clothes, Christmas gifts, and school stuff into it. Right before I lock it, I remember the letters and pack them in too. Then I stuff Coal into his carrier, climb out my window- baggage following tightly behind, and run down the street toward the train station as fast as I can.

I know I shouldn't be running away to school, but I have to. For some unknown reason. I suddenly remember the Floo network and decide to stop in a little-known wizarding store to ask Bart, the store owner, if I can use his fireplace.

"Sure Andi. Where're you going?"

"Hogwarts."

He nods and leads me toward the fireplace, "Here y'are, Andi. Be careful."

I step with my luggage toward the fireplace, and take a handful of Floo powder.

"Hogwarts," I say throwing the powder into the flames, then jump when they turn green.

I enter Hogwarts, luckily, through the Gryffindor common room fireplace. I wasn't aware it could do full-body transport, which could turn out to be a bad thing.

I run up the stairs to my room, drop off my trunk, let Coal out, then turn and run back down the stairs all the way to Hogsmeade. Once in Hogsmeade, I walk quickly through the snow- it's already getting dark at only four o'clock- to the Hog's Head.

"Firewhiskey, Aberforth." I know, I know: I'm underaged and shouldn't be drinking firewhiskey- but, I need it. Mum playing the "Snape and I would never have worked" card always takes a toll on me. Usually I wouldn't drink firewhiskey to calm myself, but my head just isn't working straight right now.

"Andi, you were in here two days ago," he says surprised but doesn't question the drink order, just turns to get it as I sit down in a booth. He brings the drink over to me and holds out his hand for payment.

"Just put it on my tab, I'll probably have more."

He looks at me questioningly, but turns back to the bar and leaves me in peace.

I'm not sure how many mugs of firewhiskey or how much time later it is, but Malfoy drops into the seat across from me in the booth.

"Hey Andi. What're you doing here?"

"Drn-kin, wha du 't ook ike?" I'm having a strong sense of déjà vu, except we're in opposite positions. Even my thoughts are slurring. Everything is getting kind of blurry.

"How many have you had?" he asks picking up my half empty mug and taking a whiff, "Damn Andi! Firewhiskey?"

I attempt a grunt but just drop my head onto the table instead.

"Hey Aberforth! Has she paid yet?"

I can hear him shuffling over to the booth and grunting a response, Malfoy digs into his pocket and takes out some coins.

Then, after Aberforth has walked off, he circles over to my side of the booth and tries to get me to stand, unfortunately my brain just can't handle that much things going on and I sink to the floor.

He dips down and scoops me up, my head lolls back and he shifts my position so it rests against his shoulder.

I think it is twenty minutes later that we arrive up at the castle, my thoughts are really hazy, and he heads down the same path to the Slytherin common room.

I kick the air feebly, "Wher' you takin' me?"

"Somewhere where I can keep an eye on you." He says as he pushes his way into his room.

He sets me down so I can stand. And, I, stupidly in my drunken haze, turn to his blurred figure, loop my arms around his neck, stand taller and kiss him. Stupid, I know. Apparently, I really can't hold much alcohol.

He doesn't react, at first, but then he pushes me back a little and says, "You know, normally I'd be completely open to taking advantage of a girl in your position, but I am not going to do that to you."

Instead, he picks me up again and lays me down on his bed, then sits by the side of the bed.

My eyes start dropping heavily again, and right before I fall asleep I manage "Déjà vu."

I wake up not knowing exactly what happened last night, the whole night is kind of a blur. _I hope I didn't do anything stupid... _I open my eyes to a splitting headache from the light.

I wince and grunt, throwing my arms over my eyes.

"Oh, someone's awake then, huh?"

_What? Who is that? Where am I? _I start to panic, all the while continuing to hold my arms over my eyes.

"Andi, wake up. You need to drink some water." A hand gently shakes my shoulder.

"Augh," is my response.

"Come on, Andi, you need it."

Slowly I sit up and reopen my eyes: Draco Malfoy is sitting next to me on the bed with water in his hand- _what?_- and, I'm in a room underwater- _what?_

"Where am I?" I ask, angry with how stupid and clueless I sound.

"You're in my room," he says, holding out the glass of water.

"Why?" I ask, taking it.

"You, uh- You had a few too many drinks at the Hog's Head last night. I took you back here."

I take a quick sip of water, it actually cools my head off a bit, "Why would I do that?" as I ask, the answer dawns on me and my stomach drops- automatically making me feel sick.

"You look a little green," he actually looks concerned. He helps me stand and takes me over to his bathroom, "Are you feeling sick?"

Right as I am about to say no, my stomach and head swirl and I race over to the toilet. He stands by the door, but looks in the opposite direction as I empty my stomach contents- to put it nicely.

Five minutes later, he follows me back to his bed and hands me the water once again.

"I didn't get a note from Snape. Not even a fucking note."

"It's okay Andi. If he doesn't think you're worth it, he's wrong," he sits down next to me and rubs my back. Normally, I don't let anyone rub- or even touch- my back but he just said that, I don't mind.

I smile faintly and rest my head on his shoulder.

"Do you remember what happened last night?" he asks cautiously- I can tell.

"Not really," my voice is still a bit weak, I've never been drunk before.

"Oh," he sounds a little disappointed. Like he'll have to explain; sucks for him- he does.

"What happened?"

"Um..."

I look up at him without moving my head.

"Yes?"

"You, uh, kissed me."

My stomach clenches again, I jerk up and dash for the bathroom again. When I finish this time, I sit with my elbows resting on the side, my hands propping up my head. Hot tears start to fall down my cheek.

_Oh Merlin! How could I do something so stupid?_

"Andi, is it really that bad?"

"Yes."

"What? Kissing me?"

"I'm so stupid!" I say more to myself than him.

"No, you're not," I hear him

"Why are you being nice to me?" I'm still facing away from him so he can't see me cry over something so stupid.

"I... _You _kissed _me_, Andi!" his voice gradually gets louder and harsher through the sentence.

"I can't remember though! What happened?" I stand up and turn to face him, he looks a little taken aback from the tears staining my face.

"Nothing!"

"Nothing! Nothing! What I just kissed you and _that's it?_"

"Yes!" he's starting to take a defensive stance, as if I'll punch him or something.

"_What _happened?" I ask in my deadly-if-you-don't-give-a-full-answer voice.

"You were drunk. I took you here so I could keep an eye on you- obviously you've never been drunk before, and _you _kissed _me_, I stopped it!"

"Thank you then!" I yell as I push my way passed him and toward the door to get away from him- and the Slytherin wing.

"For what?" he shouts after me, not moving from his spot.

"Not treating me like all the others!"

He stays silent. I slam the common room door behind me and run, tearing streaming like rivers down my cheeks, back to the Gryffindor common room. I fly up the stairs to my room, slamming the door and magically locking it behind me before flinging myself onto my bed. I just stay there, sobbing, tears continuing to stream down my face, until I calm down enough to rummage through my trunk for the journal Harry gave me and the quill from Hermione. Then I sit back on my bed, sniffling, and start to write:

_Sometimes I don't understand him. He acts like I'm gum on the bottom of his shoes one day and like I'm a friend the next. He treats me differently from the other girls he sees I guess. He treats Hermione like she's dirt that he's too good to look at, treats the girls he goes out with like sluts. But, for some reason, when I'm drunk and I fling myself at him: he pushes me away. Am I worse than all of them? Am I really that bad? I'm not saying that I'd prefer him to have taken advantage of me in my debilitated state or anything. I would just prefer that I hadn't made a complete ass of myself in the first place._

_Andi_

I sit for a minute, taking in my own thoughts, then head down to the great hall for breakfast- which I'm not entirely sure is a great idea, but I'm hungry.

When I get there, there is basically no one sitting at any of the tables, a couple from Ravenclaw, a couple from Hufflepuff, me from Gryffindor, and no one yet for Slytherin. I take a seat by myself at the Gryffindor table and food starts to appear before me. I take a simple meal- to make sure I don't get sick again, since my head _still _hurts- then head out into the grounds with only a light sweater and a pair of jeans on to keep me warm.

I walk everywhere: down to the lake, to the Whomping Willow, near Hogsmeade, the Shrieking Shack, and back to my wet clearing by the lake. Instead of stopping by the tree: I take off my sneakers, roll up my jeans and walk into the freezing cold lake water. I'm not entirely sure why, but it wakes me up. I splash around in the water for awhile, then go back to the tree and fetch my sneakers. I am freezing. I run back to the castle, and, by the time I get there, my head hurts again and is quickly getting warmer, I'm sneezing and coughing, and I feel cold- more like frozen.

I head back to the great hall to get some tea and walk into Malfoy instead.

"Andi." He looks mildly surprised to see me.

I sneeze and my face turns red and hot.

"Are you sick?"

"Maybe."

"I'll get you some tea," he makes a move to actually get some before I stop him.

"Don't, Malfoy. I don't need your _pity_," I sound more sour than I was going for. Oh well.

"I don't pity you."

I try to walk around him but he follows me over to get a drink.

"Aren't you afraid someone will see you over here?" this time I want it to sound as sour as it did.

"Not really," he shrugs his shoulders and hands me a cup of tea, "Here."

I take the cup and head for the stairs; he, once again, follows.

"Andi," he says as we reach the top of the first flight of stairs, "I'm sorry."

I turn to him, nearly splattering my tea all over him, "For what?" I spit.

"For treating you _right_."

"That doesn't make sense," I turn back and head up the stairs for my common room.

He stays silent, but stays behind me. As we approach the fat lady I turn back to face him, "I don't think she's going to let you in."

He shrugs.

I roll my eyes as I turn back to the Fat Lady, "Tapeworm."

"Who's this?" she asks pointing to Malfoy.

"I just said the password, let me in."

"Who's he?"

"A person. Let me in."

She huffs but swings open to reveal the hole into the common room, "Remember no boys in the girls rooms," I hear her call behind me as I climb through.

_Not a problem. _

"I'm going up to my room. You can hang out here."

"You sure that's a good idea? You trust me enough?"

"Good point. I'm not sure if this will work," I turn to the stairs up to my room, take out my wand and mutter the incantation, _"Immobilus."_

I walk up the stairs and beckon him to follow. He does, nothing happens. So, I continue up to my room with him following behind.

I wake up the next morning from a knock on my door and no Malfoy in sight.

"Andi? Are you back yet?"

"Hermione?" I call sleepily.

"Andi!" I slip out of bed and walk over to the door to unlock it.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Draco rushes to the door and puts himself between it and me.

"You have _got _to be kidding me. I thought you were gone!" I whisper loudly.

"What? Is someone in there?" I hear from the other side of the door. Malfoy shakes his head frantically.

"Yes: me. Gimme a second to get dressed."

"Okay," the voice on the other side of the door says. We move away from the door.

"Are you crazy, Malfoy? The charm has probably worn off and with Hermione here it's not going to be easy to get out!"

"I slept in too late! Sorry!"

"You'd better hide before I let her in," I warn him before turning back to the door and unlocking it, "Hey Hermione! Welcome back! Merry four-days-after-Christmas!"

She laughs, "Merry Christmas to you too, Andi. Did you get the quill?"

"Yeah! It's a really nice one, I wrote in the journal Harry got me with it."

We head down the stairs to her room; and, once we're inside, I hear a faint whisper of a charm and footsteps leading down the stairs. Hopefully, no one else is back yet.

"There was someone in your room, wasn't there?" she asks turning to me.

"Yeah. Me," I point to myself and smile.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"No. But, I want you to. How was Christmas?" I ask, trying to change the subject.

"Christmas was fine. I kind of missed being at Ron's with Ginny and you and Harry, but it was a nice family oriented Christmas."

"That's good! I missed you too."

"How was your Christmas? When did you get here?"

"I got here on Boxing Day. My Christmas was interesting. I came up to Hogsmeade with Mum and Austin and helped a drunk friend up to their room," I smile faintly. I should just leave out the fact that I too was drunk and sick.

"Who was your friend? Was it the guy that gave you the jacket? Was it the person in your room?" Her voice gets increasingly excited sounding as she finishes.

_Yes. Yes. And, yes._

"Just a guy."

She sighs, but gives up.

"Do you want to go down to Rosmerta's today for a butterbeer?"

"Uh..." I run my hand through my hair, "Not today, sorry. I don't think I should be drinking much today."

She sighs again, "Fine. I'm going to go down right now. I'll see you later."

She heads off to Hogsmeade and I sit down in front of the fire in the common room.

"Are you ready for a beginning to a new year?" Hermione asks sitting next to me as we eat our lunch, "Today is going to be special. I can feel it."

I look up at her quizzically, it's not like her to revert to something as trivial as 'feeling something' that happens to be very close to divination. Because, of course, she hates divination.

"Oh yeah, real special. Look, I gotta go, I'll see you later. Okay?"

"Yeah, have fun. I'll be in the library."

We had a late lunch today, something I would call a "linner", lunch and dinner combined- since it's three-thirty in the afternoon. So, I head up to my room to get changed into some nicer clothes. Since there's only a few Gryffindors back so far, we decided to have a party for the new year in one of the large, empty classrooms that litter the grounds. Apparently the common room just isn't big enough for twenty-five, or so, people on New Year's Eve. Thankfully, it's a classroom near the common room. Out of the people that have returned to Hogwarts earlier than the end of break, I really only talk to a couple of them- one of which being Seamus; who, I must say, is getting on my nerves with all the semi-flirting he fits in when he's around me.

The party is supposed to start around ten and will probably last until long after midnight, with plenty of butterbeer and other party-going foods.

My plan is to spend the time leading up to the party reading and doing other time-passing things. New Year's is always so much fun, no matter where I am.

I sit back on my bed and crack open the book Logan gave me for Christmas.

I am exactly two pages from finishing the book when I hear a knock on my door at nine-fifty-three.

"Andi! Hurry up or we'll be late!"

"Two more pages Hermione!"

"Hurry up! I'll meet you there."

I quickly finish the last two pages, not too bad a book, and run down the stairs to the common room.

I grab my jacket, just in case, and head over to the party.

The first two hours are kind of boring. I just sit around drinking butterbeer with Hermione glaring darts at me whenever she sees a new full-to-the-top mug in my hand. The stuff isn't as strong as firewhiskey- not by a long shot. And, I only had three. By the time eleven-forty-five rolls around I'm not anywhere close to as incapacitated as I was from the firewhiskey.

Seamus comes by for about the fifteenth time tonight and starts talking about Quidditch, he goes on for about ten minutes before I excuse myself for a breath. I quietly open the door to the classroom and walk down the hall. The last thing I want to do is be hanging around a bunch of teenage boys at midnight on New Year's Eve. I sit down in an alcove down the hall from the party room.

About a minute later, I hear footsteps walking past me- my eyes are closed, they stop right in front of me; and, in a questioning tone, I hear Malfoy's voice ask, "Andi?"

I open my eyes and stare up at him, "Hey Malfoy. Enjoying your night?"

"Not as much as you have apparently. You smell like you've been drinking again," he sits down next to me in the little alcove.

"Nah, I'm fine. It's just butterbeer."

"I've gotten drunk on butterbeer."

"I know. I experienced your last time."

"Oh yeah... Why are you here? There's a party for Gryffindor's right down the hall, isn't there?"

I nod, "But, I don't want to be standing in a room full of boys- and girls- that are either partially or fully drunk from butterbeer at midnight on New Year's Eve. It's a recipe for disaster."

"So, instead, you decided this nice little hole in the wall was a nice place to spend it."

"Yes."

Down the hall, we hear the start of the countdown to midnight.

_Sixty. _

_Fifty-nine._

_Fifty-eight._

Don't ask my why they started there, I have no idea. I look up at Malfoy, and stand up.

He looks up at me questioningly from his seat on the floor.

"Well, I'm not sitting down for the start of a new year! Stand up!" I wave my arms in emphasis.

He stands up and we stand face-to-face, other than the fact that I'm shorter than him by about two inches.

I smile up at him and start to count down with the crowd down the hall, he joins in after a couple numbers:

_Ten. _We stare into each others eyes.

_Nine. _I smile.

_Eight. _He smiles back.

_Seven. _For a second, I avert my eyes, feeling a little embarrassed.

_Six. _I look back.

_Five. _He's still smiling.

_Four. _One quick thought: this is so different from how it used to be.

_Three. _His eyes soften as he looks down to me.

_Two. _He brushes my long side bangs out of my face.

_One. _He places his left hand in the nape of my neck.

_Happy New Year!_ He leans down and kisses me. I kiss him back, and I'm not ashamed to admit it either. I told him I'm not drunk. I lift my arms and hook them gently around his neck, pulling myself up onto my toes to match his height. After a while, we break apart for a breath.

I smile up at him, "Happy New Year, Draco."

He smiles back and drops his arms into his jeans pockets, "You'd better get back to your party," he suggests.

"I guess so."

"Just, don't forget who was your first this year." He sounds like he genuinely wants me to remember. Well, I will.

"I'll try not to drown it out with too much butterbeer," I say sarcastically as I head back down the corridor to the party.

When I reenter the room, I grab a mug of butterbeer and walk around the edge of the room trying to find Hermione. I finally find her in the corner opposite the door by herself with a few make-out scenes starting to form around her.

"You need to cut back on the drinks, Andi."

"I know. But, there's so much love going around and I got none. I needed something to warm me up. But, I promise, I will try to keep to one butterbeer from now on. Plus, this is only my fourth and I haven't had any of it yet."

"If you want love, all you have to do is go talk to Seamus. He's probably waiting to sweep you away for the first kiss of the year."

"Uh, yeah," _that would totally be my first this year..._

"Why don't you then?"

"Because you look lonely in this corner. Plus, I think I need to be a little more drunk to give up on my principles."

She looks at me skeptically, "What principles?"

"I got plenty. One of which is 'don't join in with a crowd of snogging couples on New Years'."

I wasn't technically in a crowd of people doing the same thing, so I'm not crossing that off the list- yet.

"Oh please," she crosses her arms.

"Are you _encouraging _me to get drunk and snog Seamus?"

She drops her arms, "No."

"You don't sound too sure about that. What? Do you want to be the only love-sick girl in this crowd tonight? Are we thinking about our big, hunky Won-Won?" If looks could kill, I would be dead.

"Fine, stay in a corner by your self on the first day of the year!" I say before stalking off, right now I would honestly _love _to be anywhere but here.

I set down my still full mug right as a hand grasps my shoulder for support, I turn to see Seamus.

"H'y Andi," he slurs heavily. Obviously, he has been drinking quite a bit more than me- what is it about the holidays that gets people to do stupid things?

"Hi Seamus. I think you've been drinking too much. Maybe I should take you up to your room," he suddenly looks interested, "Or maybe I'll just get one of your roommates?"

He shakes his head, "No'nes back. Dean on't be 'til 'nd o'break, I d'no when 'Arry and Ron'll b'back."

"Oh, okay. I'll just bring you up then," I take his arm and loop it around my shoulder- much like I did for Draco- and start to slowly walk him back to the common room and up the stairs to his room.

He takes his arm from around my shoulder when we get to his room, "Andi."

That's all he says before his lips crash into mine. I'm so shocked my eyes widen and all of my muscles tense up. Slowly, I break apart from him, "Seamus, you're drunk right now. You don't know what you're doing."

"Yes I do," his Irish accent comes through in the simple line.

"You're drunk."

"You had f'w too."

"Not helping," I whisper. He leans in again; and, for some reason, I let him. He smells strongly of butterbeer. I'm not normally the type of girl that goes around kissing two guys in a night but, consciously, I can't really remember Draco in the moment. In the back of my mind, I wonder if this is how slags rationalize what they do. This time he's gentler, but still filled with desire.

I shut the door to Seamus' room quietly behind me and sink to the floor.

_What have I done? Why did I do that? How could I let that happen?_

Starting to panic, I pick myself up off the floor and run down the hall into the common room and out into the corridor. The sound of laughter and loud talking is still coming from the classroom in the other direction.

_I can't believe myself! I'm such an idiot! Wait! Why am I panicking? It's not as if either meant anything..._

I don't know where I'm going until I walk through the main doors and out into the freezing cold night air. It's snowing, and I have no jacket. Not even a sweater on. I'm freezing, but I press on down the slope, I stop near the lake shore. It looks so pretty in the moonlight with a light snow falling on it, that I forget my problems.

Parts of the edges of the lake are frozen, but not where I'm standing. From where I am, everything just looks peaceful and beautiful. I sit down in the driest, least snowcovered, patch of grass I can find and just stare out at the lake.

I think about an hour passes before I notice a figure on the other side of the lake, sitting on the shore just as I am. It's strange that someone would want to be out here in this weather- but, I guess I am so: oh well. The figure's head turns in my direction and I do my best not to move, I think they see me anyway. They stand and start sauntering around the lake's edge toward the castle.

Feeling cold, I do the same. As I walk in the doors, Malfoy rounds the nearest corner.

"Thought I saw you out there, Irbane."

All of the unfortunate things that have happened in the last few hours come rushing to the front of my mind. The things I sat out there trying to forget, all right back where they started.

"Same to you, Malfoy."

"Are we going to use last names now?"

"You started it."

"What were you doing out there without a coat?"

"Escaping."

He looks confused, "From what?"

"People."

"Like who?"

"Party goers that were out to get me."

"Ah," he nods his head in fake-understanding.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Trying to clear my head."

"From what?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." He cocks his eyebrows.

"Fine. Be that way. I'm going to bed." I sweep past him and up the first flight of stairs.

"Thanks for my jacket back, by the way. It smells good." I turn briefly to see that he is, indeed, wearing it.

Distantly, once I reach the top of the staircase, I think I hear him add on, "It smells like you," quietly to himself. I smile and make my way back to my room.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Hey everyone! Another week, another chapter! I know that it's probably annoying to hear yet another author asking for this, but just think of what you would want for your story/ies and you'll understand: Please please please review! It always makes me feel very happy when I see a new reviewer (or a returning reviewer) especially the one's that give constructive criticism! I love those ones! I really do... Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to XxOnlyanOutcastxX because she is the one that told me it would be nice to see a Draco POV chapter (*hint hint*). I'm going to see how this one goes as to whether I do another one for him or not. Thanks for reading, and please review!**

**gotalife**

* * *

Chapter Nine

"Draco!" A knock sounds outside my door. I open my eyes and groan. The water outside my window is still pitch black- which, granted, isn't much darker than normal but it's still early.

"What the hell do you want?" I yell through my pillow.

"It is quarter to seven, Draco."

"What? What the hell!" I scramble off my bed to where I left my clothes for today and then down the stairs to the great hall for food. I quickly grab a piece of toast and cram it into my mouth. I look up from my plate to find myself staring in the direction of the Gryffindor table. A girl has just walked up to her bushy haired friend. Her long, messy, wavy black hair resting lightly along her back as she talks to her friend.

It takes me a second, but, I finally notice that Hermione, the bushy haired friend, is staring at me. Andi follows her gaze to me and her eyes widen when she realizes it's me her friend is staring at.

"Excuse me," I excuse myself from Crabbe and Goyle's company and walk down the hallway. After only a few seconds, footsteps follow me down the corridor. I turn, right before a corner, to face bushy haired Hermione Granger.

"Malfoy!"

"Granger," I answer in a mildly bored tone.

"Where did you get that jacket?"

"Back from someone," I mumble quietly and quickly.

"Where?" She didn't understand what I said.

"I got it in a store in Diagon Alley."

"No! You didn't!"

"Yes. I did."

"I have seen that jacket before."

"Yeah, on _me_."

"In a girl's room."

_Oh shit._

"I don't know whose jacket you saw in her room, but it most definitely was _not _mine!"

She snaps out her arm, grabs hold of my wrist and lifts it up to her nose. She takes a quick sniff of my jacket.

Hermione is still holding my arm, looking shocked- her mouth is hanging open and her eyes are wide- while I remain as calm as possible, though I can still feel my eyes widen a little bit.

Her voice is deadly low when she talks again, "Where did you get the jacket _back _from?"

I lower my voice too, "It's mine. It has been with me."

Hermione spins around and stomps off back in the direction of the great hall, I turn back down the hallway. After a couple seconds, I hear footsteps that stop a few feet behind me.

"She knows it was me," Andi's voice flows through the hall.

I stop and spin around to face her, "How?"

"She saw it in my trunk on the night of Slughorn's party."

My mouth falls open in shock.

"I thought by the time I gave it back she would have forgotten. She knows you were in my room, too," she continues

"How?"

"Well... She doesn't know it was _you_."

"Oh yeah, that's a lot better!" I yell sarcastically.

"What? You thought you could just go on with your pathetic existence, pretending that nothing ever happened? You thought no one would ever find out anything? Tough luck." Her eyes dart around the hall and her hand into her pocket. She takes something out and lifts her arm. She throws a rock at me- I assume it hit the intended mark, right beneath my left eye. Then she turns back the way we came and storms off.

Anger flashes through me and I yell after her, "Detention!"

She stops promptly and spins around, "_What?_"

"You heard me!"

"Can you even give them!" More a yelled statement than a question. Apparently, she has forgotten the new set of rules.

"Yes. Eight o'clock tonight."

"Whatever!" She yells at me before storming off back down the hall again in a similar to the way Hermione had.

I sit and wait in the classroom for about an hour, until nine-thirteen exactly, before Andi finally shows up for her detention.

"You know, I have other things to do than waste my time waiting for you," I declare before she has a chance to speak.

"Mighty nice of you to point out," she snaps back sarcastically.

"You're late."

"You should have started with that. And, I shouldn't have to be here." She is still standing in front of where I am leaning against the teacher's table.

"You threw a rock at my head."

She lifts her hand to try to muffle her laugh.

"Something funny?" I sneer.

"It was a pebble. And, you deserved it."

My temper starts boiling and she looks like she realizes that another snide remark could send me on another of my lovely yelling sprees.

"How could I possible deserve that? I barely said anything!" My voice starts rising.

"I can't believe you! You are such a _prick_!"

My breath catches for a moment but then I quickly pick up my bag and storm out of the room. I listen to hear if she follows me, but I hear no footsteps and my stomach drops. _What is wrong with me? This is ridiculous, I don't care about her._ I know it's not true, but sometimes you have to try to convince yourself that what you feel is wrong so it goes away. It has always worked for me before.

I reach the common room entrance in a couple minutes, "Pure blood." It opens to reveal the passage and I walk right through the common room to my room and sit down on my bed looking out into the lake. Some fish swim by, but that's it.

I wake up in the morning feeling a strange sense of loss. _Weird._ I quickly pick up the clothes for the day and head upstairs to the great hall. Crabbe and Goyle are already seated at the table when I arrive, so I sit close by to eat my food.

I look up halfway through my meal to find the same long-wavy-black-haired girl walking into the great hall with her bushy haired friend. She takes a seat at the Gryffindor table next to Finnigan- who looks at her with puppy eyes, which makes me feel sick. Right as the food appears before them on the table, she looks up across the room. Her brilliant blue-green eyes connect with mine, making it quite obvious that I was looking in her direction, before she breaks her gaze to look at Seamus, who has started talking to her.

A weird feeling enters the pit of my stomach as I watch them talk for a few more seconds. She smiles and laughs along with whatever Seamus Finnigan is saying. I look away, gulp down the rest of my food, excuse myself, and head up the flights of stairs for the seventh floor hallway painting of Beetle the Bard. The problem with getting into the room is that you have to _want _something. And, as much as I _want _to live, I don't _want _to hurt anyone. I'm tired of trying different ways to get Dumbledore, so calling the Death Eaters is my only choice. Otherwise, I'll die.

And, that is the problem that I encounter when I walk three times in front of the entrance to the hidden room. It doesn't appear immediately, and when I walk in, there is nothing. Anywhere. I walk further into the room presented to me. There are blue-green drapes covering the walls, emerald green and crimson objects scattered around. Everything in here reminds me of Andi.

I don't understand it. This isn't what I was asking for! I was asking for a room that I need- not _this_! I'm not dying over blue-green drapes!

I storm out of the room and down every flight of stairs to the entrance of the castle. I walk out into the early morning air. _If I'm not going to get into the room, I'll just go to class then_, I decide as I walk back to the entrance.

I storm all the way to Defense class and take a seat near the back. As I sit, everyone- aside from the black haired Andi- turns to stare at me. Potter and Weasley are staring back at me with smirks on their faces, I ignore them.

"Come see me after class, Mister Malfoy."

Everyone staring back at me laughs briefly, but Andi has stayed in her non-respondent place the entire time. Snape's lecture on the history of the forbidden curses passes quickly after the students staring back at me are threatened with detentions if they don't pay attention. I can see him glance at Andi's still non-respondent position as he harps out the orders.

At the end of class, I sit for a minute in my seat and watch Andi pack up and leave, and then I pack my own bag and head up to where Snape is impatiently waiting for me.

"You were a very impertinent distraction to most of the class when you walked in fifteen minutes late."

"Yeah, I know. Only _one _person didn't turn around though, so I wouldn't say it was most of the class- more like all but one."

"Yes, A- Miss Irbane has finally decided to practice some self-control."

I nod in agreement.

"Don't let that happen again. You are dismissed."

I turn and walk briskly out the door. Noticing, on my way out, Potter and Weasley are standing feet from the door speaking quietly to one another. I ignore them and head off my own way.

By February fourteenth, it's like someone has put a charm on all the girls in the castle- making them giggly, flirtatious, and more air-headed than usual. A few exceptions, of course.

Pansy Parkinson has been the worst of the flirtatious girls in Slytherin, her normally laid back snobbish demeanor has been shed in favor of the ultimate flirt. I ignore it, of course. It makes me uncomfortable to hang around with all of the Slytherins that know this is my normal "season", but this year I have decided not to take advantage.

When the gates are officially open to couples going to Hogsmeade for Valentine's day, I slip out without attracting any attention and head for the Hog's Head.

Sitting in a booth seat, when I arrive, is Andi. I grab a butterbeer from the counter and take a seat across from her.

"Hey Andi."

She looks up from her butterbeer briefly, then back down, and says, "My birthday is in twelve days."

"Uh, okay."

She looks up at me again, a ghost smile on her lips, "Not gonna say happy early birthday, huh?"

"I'll say happy birthday in twelve days. What are you doing here, without your friends?"

"They're used to me being here."

"Looking sullen?"

She blinks up at me again, "Do I? _Really?_"

"Weren't going for it, eh?"

She arches her eyebrow, "Sure."

"Are you not one of the hyper-flirt girls on Valentine's day?"

"I try not to," she fingers the mug in front of her, tracing an imaginary design on the clear surface.

A strand of her raven black hair falls out of place, dancing temptingly in front of her face.

"Why? Because you're afraid Seamus might ask you out?"

She looks up at me, a startled expression on her face.

"So that's a yes?"

She stands up abruptly, shakes her head and dashes out of the pub, grabbing her coat on the way out. I blink in confusion, drain my cup, grab my jacket and head slowly back up to the castle.

Exactly ten days later, I walk into the same pub around eleven-thirty- which is, admittedly, fairly late. The lateness is the reason I am expecting no one from school to be there, especially not the almost-birthday-girl. I grab my mug from the bartender and head over to her, slipping into the seat in front of her.

"Happy birthday, Andi."

She looks up, a little startled, "Thanks. But, it's not my birthday yet."

"Yeah, a full half-hour to wait. Not close at all."

"Exactly," another ghost smile crosses her face quickly.

We sit in relative silence until the clock in the corner of the room trills midnight.

"Happy actual birthday, Andi."

The right side of her mouth tugs up in a half-smile, "Thank you, Draco."

"You're welcome."

She laughs after a second.

"What?"

Another short laugh, "Did you get me anything?"

My mind goes blank for a moment and the words just flow out on their own, "Well, no. But, I can definitely _do _something for you," I lift my eyebrow suggestively.

She looks pensive for a moment, and then, very seriously, she says, "Yes. Okay."

I can feel my whole face fall in shock when she agrees, my mouth actually falls open.

"Close your mouth."

I close my mouth, but continue to stare at her incredulously.

"Finish your drink and let's go," she stands and walks over to the coat rack, grabbing her jacket and staring back at me.

I gulp down the rest of my butterbeer, and follow her over to the jackets. She hands me mine impatiently.

_Merlin, how many drinks did she have before I came?_

She starts the walk back to the castle at a brisk pace, me following quickly behind her. Once we reach the castle, she carefully makes her way up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, making sure to keep quiet all the way up. She quietly wakes up the portrait and says the password. The portrait is still not happy about me entering the common room, but Andi doesn't give up until she lets us both in.

Andi petrifies the stairs on our way up through the common room. This is definitely something I never thought I would do: go up the stairs to the girls' rooms in the Gryffindor tower with Andi at midnight on the night before her birthday. She pulls my arm and starts laughing quietly all the way up the stairs to her room. And, when she pulls me inside and quietly closes the door behind her, she pulls me down to her and kisses me. A thought forms in the back of my mind and she voices the same thing moments later:

"I thought we said we weren't going to do this," she says as she takes a breath.

"This is a one-time thing then," I answer before kissing her neck and then her lips. Her fingers play at the hem of my black T-shirt and she snakes one of her hands underneath it, then she pulls it up over my head. Leaning down into her kiss, I fumble with the buttons on her shirt. She shrugs it off as we back across the room to her bed.

"In my bed. Cool," she pants as she falls back onto the bed, pressing her lips to mine and wrapping her arms around my neck, pulling me down against her.

I wake up the next morning in her bed. _One time thing_, I remind myself. I pull on my pants and shirt and stare down at her sleeping form. She looks so beautiful. More so than she would ever think.

"I shouldn't have done this," I say quietly to myself_. I shouldn't have done this._ I wipe my eyes before they start to tear up. "I can't do this, Andi, you deserve so much better."

_Especially on your birthday,_ I think to myself.

She groans and shifts a little under the sheets. It makes me want her so much more, but instead I back away from her to the door.

"Bye Andi," I open the door, still the stairs and run out of the Gryffindor common room. Luckily it's still early so no one is up.

_Merlin, I'm in love with a Gryffindor!_ At first, I'm not sure it was me that thought that, it sounds like it came from somewhere else. But, when I realize it was, I'm not shocked or horrified, I just feel scared and extremely happy for the first time in a long time. Of course, fear usually wins precedence.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Hey readers! I know, I know... I promised to be a Monday person. And, I really liked making everyone's Monday's a little brighter, but it's easier for me to post on Sunday's now that &field (track & field but I only do the &field portion) has started for me. Anyway, thank you all so much for your reviews! I'm so happy you guys listened to my groveling and reviewed! Thank you so much for taking the time, I really hope you can all review again! Hope you enjoy!**

**gotalife**

* * *

Chapter Ten

_My shoulders are cold_, is the first fully formed thought that enters my head this morning as I wake up. I don't open my eyes, I just lie there and listen. I can feel the weight of someone at the end of my bed, and then a whisper.

"You deserve so much better," the weight removes itself from the bed and its footsteps back away to the door.

"Bye Andi," it whispers when it reaches the door.

The door opens and shuts behind the weight with a dull snap of the latch.

_He probably doesn't know I woke up..._ A cold feeling of dread and something else I can't quite place settles in my stomach. I slip out of bed and pull on my clothes right as an excited knock sounds on my door.

"Wake up! Wake up! Andi! Wake up!"

I shuffle over and open the door to see an ecstatic looking Hermione standing in the doorway, "Happy birthday Andi!" she squeals before bringing me in for a giant hug. She then turns around and pulls me down the staircase into the common room, sitting me down on the couch in front of the fire.

She picks up a small wrapped present and hands it to me, on the top she has written: _In event of Andi finding before birthday: DO NOT OPEN until 26 February!_

I scoff at her note then rip it open, revealing beneath it _Emma_ by Jane Austen.

"You got me a _non_-academic book? Thank you Hermione!" I stand up and hug her.

Behind me, voices sound,"Happy birthday Andi!"

I turn around to see Harry standing there with Seamus, Dean, and, standing a little awkwardly behind them, Ron.

"Ron?" I ask curiously.

"Hey Andi. Happy birthday," he says it enthusiastically in an unsure-if-I'm-welcome tone.

Behind me, Hermione murmurs a quick goodbye and hurries out through the portrait hole to the great hall. I turn back to the guys and a big smile lights on my face.

"RON!" I rush forward and bring him into a giant bear hug.

He whispers in my ear, "I didn't get you anything though."

I laugh and whisper back, "Ron! I'm just glad you're back!"

I let go of him and turn to the others, Harry holds out a present and the four of us walk around to the couch and sit down.

In the end, I received another Muggle-written book from Harry, a chocolate bar from Dean, and some sweets from Seamus. Of course, my favorite was just talking to Ron again. I did really miss him.

"So, Andi, what're you going to do today?" Seamus asks from the other side of Harry.

"I don't know. I think I'm going to start with breakfast!"

_It feels no different to be seventeen than it did to be sixteen..._ I think as I walk down to the great hall with Harry and Ron. Lavender is in the great hall when we arrive so I join arms with Ron and laugh, for no reason other than I'm happy he's back and I really want the chance to annoy Lavender.

"Won Won!" she coos when we reach the table.

"Hi Lavender," he sits down across from her and I sit down next to him. I notice Hermione staring and I smile sympathetically to her.

A while later, in the middle of laughing at a joke that Ron said- it was funny because it made no sense- I glance across the room to see Draco staring in my direction. I stop laughing and smile faintly to him, he returns the ghost smile with one of his own.

"You know. I think I'm going to go to Hogsmeade today."

Ron looks at me confused, "And, how're you planning to get permission for that?"

"Well, you may not remember this, but this weekend is Hogsmeade weekend. So, I don't need permission."

"Oh yeah," he says loudly then leans closer to me and whispers, "Lavender has me confined."

I look into his eyes, the ocean blue has a trapped look in them. As if he's trying to call for help using his eyes- which, I can guess, he was.

I lean in, "Oh Ron. You can fix this. Master of Mystery, remember?"

He just barely nods enough for me to see, obviously he can remember the name Hermione had given him earlier this year. I don't know how the name will help him, but it's always worth a try.

"Well, I'm off to Hogsmeade then!" I announce loudly to the group. Backing out from the table, I wave a quick goodbye to Hermione and walk out the doors.

On my way out, Snape sees me and calls me over.

"Miss Irbane, where are you going?"

I fight my urge to roll my eyes, "Hogsmeade, Mister Snape."

"Professor Snape," he corrects me, "You can go, happy birthday." Before he leaves, he slips an envelope into my hand.

I look down at the envelope, in his tight script, my name is written on the front. I slip it into my jacket and head down to the Hog's Head.

By the time I reach the pub, I'm so excited to read Snape's letter that I skip ordering a drink and just take a booth seat. I pull the envelope out of my pocket and rip it open.

_Alexandria,_

_Happy seventeenth birthday. I know you're disappointed that I haven't been present in your life nearly as much as I suppose I should have been since you were three. I should have rectified the situation or continued to send you notes. I know you probably don't remember this, but I did try when you were little. But, your mother and I were at ends. She's right every time she says we would never have worked. She loved me, but I have always been in love with a childhood friend. I just couldn't give up on that. But, I love you. I really do. I wish I could have been there more when you were little, but wishing rarely does anything. I cannot go back to fix anything. I can only try to fix the future. I know that your current school friends would not be very happy to find out who I am to you, so I will leave that part to you. I am so proud of you, and I do love you. you must believe that._

_SS_

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupts my reading and I hurriedly fold up the note and put it back in my jacket. Looking up, I see a man with long platinum blond hair and steel gray eyes standing before me.

He quickly clears his throat again before talking, "Miss Irbane?"

"What's it to you?"

His eyes harden and, if possible, he looks more serious than he did before.

"I have been informed that you have been distracting my son."

I squint my eyes a little, "What?"

"Miss Irbane?"

"Who are you?"

"Lucius Malfoy."

Although I try to stop them, my eyes widen when I realize who he is, "I- I thought you were in-"

"Well, I am not. Are you Miss Irbane?"

"N-no," I stutter. His face flashes with disbelief.

"I need you to come with me," he doesn't necessarily give me a choice because, moments later, he grabs my arm and pulls me out the door into the street. He pulls me down the side streets to the edge of town- where no one can see. I try to pull my arm free but he's stronger than he looks.

"I have need for you to come with me," he states as he pulls out his wand.

I look over my shoulder just in time to see Draco walking along a road parallel to the one I am standing on.

"Draco!" I yell as loud as I can. He turns to face us right as Lucius Malfoy apparates.

Lucius apparates to his home, which I recognize only from descriptions I've heard from others. He walks, dragging me along behind him, right into the gate and we end up on the other side unharmed. There are hedges along the rest of the driveway leading up the the giant manor. He once again walks right up to the door and it opens before us. He then pulls me along through a large drawing room to an iron grate door, opens it and thrusts me inside slamming it shut behind me.

"There is water and food inside. We will talk later."

Completely confused, I shuffle over to one of the numerous pillars cluttered around the dark, dank room and sink to the floor against it.

Hours later, I'm not sure how many, his voice sounds once again from outside the iron grate door, "We will talk now."

_Oh yeah? And what if I don't want to talk? _I think to myself, careful not to let them actually escape my lips.

"What about?" I say instead.

"You know my son Draco," a statement, not a question, but I answer anyway.

"Yes."

"He has some... work he needs to complete."

"Okay. Why am I here, on my _birthday_, then?"

"Well, we have a friend in the school that says Draco has been a bit... distracted as of late. And, upon further... investigation we have concluded that _you_, Miss Irbane, are the cause of his distractions."

"So? Why am I here?"

"You are here so we can _stop _his distraction."

"Mhmm," oddly enough, I have no fear anywhere in me while I talk to this man. He looks like his stay in Azkaban has really done a number on him.

He turns and leaves up the stone steps into the drawing room again. For the rest of the night, I sit alone in the dank cellar- no visitors, no other prisoners, and no light. Early the next morning, I hear voices outside the door, arguing voices. I don't move from where I sit though- I have no desire to be caught eavesdropping on Malfoy's conversation. I probably wouldn't be interested in what they have to say anyway. Then it occurs to me that when I get out of here- always be optimistic in a situation like this- the Order may want to hear what they were saying.

I creep quietly over to the door, settling myself just outside their vision, and listen.

"But, sweetie, why do we need the girl? We don't even know if she _is _the one Bella saw," a woman's voice speaks softly.

"Bellatrix," a feeling of dread crawls into me when I hear her name, "says that she is the girl she saw in his memory. Bellatrix wouldn't lie about such an important subject. And, the girl wouldn't say she is Irbane without _being _Irbane, no one is that stupid."

_And, yet, I didn't think to say that it _isn't _my name_, I think sourly. Could've saved myself a whole lot of trouble had I thought of that.

At this point, they have stopped talking and are probably listening to the sound of footsteps coming their way.

"Draco!" the woman shrills in a mixture of happiness and fear.

"Mother," he returns politely, my stomach drops at the sound of his voice- _What can he possibly be doing here?_- there's a slight shuffling sound before he speaks again, "Can I speak to Father alone, please?"

There's a pause before I can hear her quietly walking off through the drawing room.

"Draco, you should be at school... working."

"I _saw_ you in Hogsmeade."

"I go there occasionally on business."

"With Andi."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" His tone, once calm and collected, is now gradually falling apart- while Lucius' remains flawlessly composed.

"If you are talking about a girl, then yes, I may know."

"Alexandria Irbane."

"Ah, that one rings a bell."

"Where is she?" Draco's voice is serious. _As if he actually cares! _I find myself thinking sourly.

"She has been... taken care of."

My jaw drops: _frickin' liar!_

"What?" he sounds like he no longer believes a word of what he's hearing.

"She is elsewhere."

"Like where? You can't just take students!"

"You should be in school."

"Father! Please! Where is she?"

He must have indicated to the door or something because, seconds later, footsteps rush to the iron grate door. I scramble back to the pillar I had previously been sitting against just in time for Draco to appear on the other side of the door. I don't move from my spot hunched beneath the pillar as his eyes scan the room for something to latch onto. When they find me, I can feel his intense gaze landing on my face- but, I don't glance his way, I just stare at the floor.

Draco turns away from the door to his father, "You have to let her leave."

"I'm sorry, Draco. I can't do that."

"You're not sorry!"

"She cannot leave, Draco."

"Father! Please you don't understand! You have to let her go!" He sounds kind of like a hurt child. I take the chance and look through the iron grate door to where they're standing not far away from it.

"Draco. You need to focus. She is a distraction."

"She's not the distraction! This is! I never wanted this! Let her go!"

"No, Draco."

"But, but.." I can tell he's trying to find something good enough, "but... Her father is a death-eater!"

Suddenly, Lucius Malfoy looks interested.

"Oh really?"

I jerk out of my hunched position on the floor, slam up against the door, and yell through the bars, "Draco! Don't!"

"Who is it Draco?"

Draco looks from his father to me and back to his father. My fingers turn white from my grip on the bars of the door.

"Who is it Draco?" His father repeats.

"Don't! Draco plea-" just then, Lucius raises his wand lazily and flicks it in my direction, muttering under his breath the incantation to what I soon find out is a curse.

I fly backwards, onto the stone floor, hitting my head with a loud, resounding _thump_. Searing pain everywhere in my body. I can feel myself convulse in agony, rocking violently back and forth. My mind kind of goes blank from the pain and I can't remember where I am. I've never been hit with a cruciatus curse before. I can't help but scream. And I scream loud. Tears start flowing down my face, hot stinging tears that add to the pain. Distantly, I can hear Draco begging with his father.

I start to jerk more violently and my head feels like its going to explode. Then the world goes black. I think I'm unconscious, but, I know that there's pain. And, then it's gone and I black out completely.

Stinging tears leap down my face, the ever-present feeling of pure unadulterated pain still surging dully through my body. My eyes still pulled tightly together, I lift my arm weakly to the spot on my head where I hit the floor, it comes back with the feeling of blood. I do my best to curl up in a ball where I'm lying, but the pain becomes, once more, so intense I just lie out on my back again. A whimper escapes my lips, the tears continue to flow freely across the contours of my face.

I finally open my eyes to the dark world around me- nothing, no one is here to comfort me. i take a chance and pull myself up into a sitting position, the pain is not as intense and my eyes start to readjust to the dark, my vision is slightly blurred. I try to haul myself over to the nearest pillar- right in front of the door- but find that the movement brings along with it another surge of intense pain.

It takes me a second after the pain recedes to remember what happened prior to my first curse encounter. I wonder whether Draco told his father what Lucius wanted to know, or if he had done as I wanted and kept it to himself. In the back of my mind, I have a feeling he didn't tell- otherwise, I probably wouldn't still be down in this _wonderful_ cellar. But, the main portion of my brain is telling me that he did tell and the Death Eaters are going over the information as I sit here getting over my pain.

I should have more faith in him, but, for some insane reason, I just... can't.

I don't know how much time has passed since Draco was here with his father, so I'm not entirely surprised to hear footsteps coming along the corridor outside the cellar. They stop outside and there is some whispering and other metal-to-metal type noises.

I'm still too sore to move much, so I don't bother to look to the door in order to see who's there, I just listen.

The whispers stop as a _klink _sound occurs, then a quick outburst of happiness from the whisperers before I hear the door swing open and the people shuffle inside.

"Andi!" At my name, I open my eyes and they flutter over to where the new figure stands above me. Lying on my back on the floor is probably not the position I would prefer to be found in next time.

Above me waves a curtain of brown hair extending from ocean blue eyes with a mischievous glint, a half-smile balanced nicely on her lips. And, behind that is the mid-length, spiky, red-brown bed-head hair and green-blue eyes smiling just as mischievously down at me.

The features of their faces are close enough to who I think they are for me to assume that they _are, _the infamous, Hunter and, love of his life, Calypso- though, I can't be sure due to my visions continued blurriness.

"Hunter?" I ask weakly, my voice is more raspy than I thought it might be.

"Yeah kiddo, it's me. We have to get out of here before anyone finds us. Get you back to school, you know?"

Calypso reaches down to help me up, and, even through the pain, I finally manage it.

"Where have you been?"

"I have to visit my dad at some point," she grins as she helps me over to the door.

"How'd you guys get in here?" I say as I try standing on my own, not so hard now that I'm already up.

"Same way we get out," they say in unison before dragging me along behind them. When we get to the top of the stairs to the drawing room, they pause to check if the coast is still clear. Then, we rush out through the grand entrance to the giant room into the huge parlor, they pause again before rushing for the door.

When we stop at the extravagant door, I hear voices in one of the rooms adjacent to the hall whispering. Calypso doesn't stop long enough for me to hear what they're talking about, she just picks the lock- she explains that it's necessary otherwise the door would make a loud intruder sound, even though we're leaving- opens the door and rushes, pulling both me and Hunter, out behind her. Only when we reach the end of the long driveway do we stop for a breath before Hunter straightens up, pulls us closer to him, and apparates into Hogsmeade.

"We can go to Rosmerta's for a drink so we can talk," he suggests. Then, without asking, pulls us along with him.

"How did you find me?" I ask once I have a warm mug of butterbeer in my grip and slip into one of the booth seats near the door. The pain that had been pushed back from a rush of adrenaline is now seeping back into my body. I take a sip and wait for one of them to talk.

Hunter leans back in his seat before opening his mouth to speak, "Uh, a sort of vision, I guess. I saw the driveway leading up to the house, then the parlor leading to the drawing room, and through the drawing room to the cellar where I saw you lying on the floor, unconscious with blood coming from beneath your head. I recognized the house as the Malfoy's. So, before we were deemed the stupidest wizards in history, we asked Dumbledore is you had been seen recently. He said not since halfway through your birthday. We assumed you were there, and whoever sent the image was telling the truth. They were."

"Okay, so you just knew exactly how to get into their house, without getting caught, heard, or seen?" I ask confused at how they managed it.

Calypso nods, all traces of mischief gone from her ocean blue eyes.

I don't doubt that they've had some type of experience doing that in the first war, so I don't question them further, I just take a sip of my drink.

"What I want to know," Hunter says breaking the silence, "is where, or who, the image was sent from."

"I only saw three people other than you."

"And, they were?" Calypso asks, leaning forward across the table.

"The Malfoy's. All three of them."

"Not possible. Malfoy junior was gone from school for only about two hours, according to Dumbledore. I don't see how he could have gotten there and back. He doesn't have an apparation license. Not seventeen yet," Hunter looks like he's just getting more and more confused the more he talks.

"Well, the Malfoy's aren't known to follow the law as of late, are they?" Calypso looks at Hunter with an affectionate, know-it-all, smile.

Hunter shrugs in response, "Why would _he _send _me _the location of my niece?"

Calypso shrugs.

"I don't feel like talking about it anymore," I speak up, breaking up their little lovey-dovey staring contest.

"Okay sweetie," Calypso says calmly, although I can tell that they both have more to discuss.

Once I finish my butterbeer, Hunter speaks up, "Caly, we should walk her up to the castle."

Calypso nods. I look out the window, the sky is dark, indicating the lateness of our return.

"What day is today?"

"March first."

"What? Today's Ron's birthday!" I rush out of my seat, nearly falling while doing so, and out the door. Hunter and Calypso shove their way out the door to follow me.

Behind me, I can hear them arguing, "Caly _move_! We have to watch her!"

"You move, I'm faster than you!"

"So! I'm stronger than you!"

"Buffer maybe!"

I hear footsteps running up the main street after me, they stop by my side.

"You shouldn't do that, Andi."

"I've been walking around these streets since I was thirteen, I'm fine."

"If you were fine in these streets, you wouldn't have been Andi-napped," Hunter says matter-of-factly.

"What?" I smirk up at him.

"You know... _Kid_napped... _Andi_-napped," he grins down at me.

"Yes, wonderful rephrasing," Calypso says sarcastically as we approach the steps to the castle.

I walk up the steps, glancing back halfway up to see Calypso kissing Hunter on the cheek while my back is turned.

"Ew! Gross! Get a room!" I yell back at them.

"You get a room!" Hunter shouts back, grinning.

"See you soon, Andi!" Calypso shouts excitedly, waving after me.

"Bye," I wave back to them and run up the remaining flights of stairs to the Gryffindor common room.

"Ron!" I yell as I enter the common room to, instead, see Hermione staring at me solemnly.

"What happened?"

"Ron was poisoned."

"What! Where is he?"

"In the hospital wing. But, no visitors allowed right now."

I sit down on the couch and wrap my arm around her as if they don't still distantly burn from the ordeal I've been through. When a friend's sad, you don't bring up the reason you've been missing, you just pretend you haven't been and comfort them.

"You don't have to stay here, Andi. I'm sure you have things to catch up on," that's Hermione for you, always worried about homework.

"Mione, are you going to be okay? I have to go find someone."

She nods, "I'm going to go to the hospital wing."

"Isn't is closed?"

"She said she wasn't going to let anyone see him for a little while. Should be fine by now."

"Okay, come on then."

When we reach the first floor, Hermione heads off down the hall to the hospital wing. I head off in the direction of, well, nowhere. It just occured to me that I have no idea where Malfoy would be. I think, normally, it's him that finds me. So, I just meander off down the hall, all the way up to the fifth floor.

As I pass the Perfects' bathroom- I realize that I'm not _supposed _ to know where it is _or _how to get in, but that's the cool thing about being me- I get the strangest feeling of need to get in.

"Pine fresh," I say to the door. It unlocks and I walk inside. I walk over to the giant tub in the middle of the room, oddly enough, it's filled to the brim with water and overflowing with bubbles. Like a small child might, I reach out and pick up some of the bubbles in my hand.

And, right at that exact moment, a person blasts up from beneath the bubbles about a yard from where I stand.

I jump backwards and scream really loud, the person in the water does just about the same thing.

"Sorry! I didn't know anyone was in here!" the person in the water is covered in bubbles, therefore making it nearly impossible for me to identify them.

"Andi?"

"Uum... No?" I back slowly away to the door.

"Andi! How did you get here?"

"What?"

"Irbane," the person in the water says impatiently.

"What?" I say with just as much confusion as I started out with.

The person wipes off the bubbles distorting their face, revealing Draco beneath. When I recognize him, I'm overcome with an intense desire to either beat him or jump into the water and hug him. I choose the latter.

I run forward, jump into the bath, and envelope him in a tight hug- completely ignoring the fact that I am now fully clothed in a bath or that he is fully unclothed in a bath. For a second he doesn't move, but then he returns the hug with more force than I am using.

"You got out," he whispers into my dry hair.

I can feel hot tears slipping down my cheeks.

"You got me out," I whisper back.

He doesn't let go as he says, "You're wet now."

"Not all the way. My hair is dry."

"Someone should fix that," he says devilishly.

"No! Draco!" I squeal.

He moves his arms to around my arms and dives into the tub, completely submerging both of us in the bubbly bath water. I beat his bare chest under the water until he pulls me up behind him.

"You look a lot like Merlin now," he laughs.

"Now I'm all wet!" I pout, then start laughing, "You look like an ancient wizard!"

He laughs and hugs me again.

"Someone could find us," I say when he lets me go.

"I don't care."

I look straight into his light blue eyes- funny how they seem to change color depending on how open he's feeling.

"Was it you?"

"That did what?"

"You used Legilimency on my uncle to tell him where I was."

He smiles but doesn't deny it.

"Did you tell him?"

"Who your father is?"

"Yeah."

"No, I didn't tell him anything after he cursed you. I sat outside the cellar door until he made me come back to school, personally escorted me here himself."

"Why did you sit there?"

"Because you were alone. And, I couldn't get to you."

"Oh."

"I nearly broke down the door to get in," he whispers so quietly I almost don't hear him. I smile.

"Have you ever been cursed before, Draco?"

"Yeah, but not for as long as you were."

"Why?" I breath the question.

"I thought you were hurt, there was blood coming from your head," he says, ignoring my question.

"I think I should leave," I say quietly.

"Why?"

"Well... Because you're... in the bath."

"So?"

"So, at some point you're going to have to get out... of the tub."

"So?"

"I have to go to the hospital wing anyway."

"Why?"

"Ron is in there."

"Why?"

"I don't know," I climb out of the tub, dripping water on the floor.

"You're wet."

"I wonder why," I say sarcastically as I head for the door.

"What if someone sees you wet?"

"I'll blame it on you," I grin angelically back at him.

"Fine," he gives up, sitting down on the bench in the tub.

"Bye Draco."

I'm almost out the door when he calls my name, "Andi!"

I turn back to him, he looks like he wants to say something important, "What?"

His face falters, "Oh... um... bye."

I turn back to the door and walk down the hall to the stairs and up to the common room. My chest feels tighter the more steps I take, but I don't turn around or stop.

"Andi?"

I look over to where my names was said: Seamus, of course.

"Seamus?"

"You're back! Where were you?"

"Nowhere. I'm fine."

"Why are you wet?"

"Malfoy. Don't worry though, I'll get him back."

He laughs, "I don't doubt it. Come on."

He says the password and we climb through the hole behind it into the common room.

"Thanks Seamus. I'll see you later," I say before heading up the stairs to my room. Once I'm in, I just walk over to my bed and fall onto the comfortable blankets and fall asleep.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Hey everybody! Missed you guys... heh heh. SUPER BOWL! GO SF! Anyway, new chapter here everyone. Please please please please please please REVIEW! I know I'm begging now, but I LOVE it when I get reviews! It's awesome! Enjoy!**

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Chapter Eleven

It's pouring outside as I walk down to the great hall for breakfast.

"Hey Andi," Hermione says when I approach her, Harry, and Ron. Ron looks up with his mouth full and smiles- he looks kind of like a squirrel as he does it. He got out of the hospital two days ago and has, since then, spent all his time with Hermione and Harry, avoiding Lavender in the process, since I have been a little busy catching up on what I missed when I was missing. Thankfully, I am finally done.

"Hey guys. Are you going down to Hogsmeade today?"

They all pause their eating to look up at me.

"What?"

"Do you really think you should go down there this weekend?" Harry speaks up.

"I don't see why not."

Harry just shakes his head and goes back to eating.

"Maybe you should consider going to Rosmerta's with us, instead of Hog's Head?" Ron suggests.

I shake my head, "You guys know I like the seclusion. I am not going to be kidnapped _again_. Once is enough. Plus there'll be other people there."

He shrugs his shoulder and we go back to eating.

As I walk down the street to the Hog's Head, I keep looking over my shoulder to see if anyone is following me. No one is.

I walk in, hang up my coat, and order a drink at the bar.

"Andi? Hey!" A voice says from behind me.

I turn to see Seamus gazing down at me, "Oh, hey Seamus. Fancy seeing you here..."

"Yeah, I didn't know you come here!"

"You didn't?"

"Nope," he pops the p on his lips as he takes the stool next to me.

"I didn't know _you_ come here."

"Not usually. Normally I go to Rosmerta's."

"And, you decided to come _here_ instead?" I hope he can hear the skepticism in my voice.

"Uh... yeah," he's starting to squirm a little from my questions.

"Did you know I would be here?"

"Uh... no," the no sounds more questioning than knowing.

"Really?"

"Uh huh."

"Okay. Enjoy your drink," I hop off the stool with my drink and take a seat in one of the booths. He follows me over, slipping into the seat across from me.

"No point not sitting together if we're both here, right?"

"Right," I answer dully and stare down into the depths of my mug.

We both drain our cups in a couple minutes and he looks at me as if questioning whether we should leave or not.

"You go, I'm going to stay for a bit."

He looks like he's contemplating staying with me for a moment before standing up, "Bye Andi."

He trudges off to the door as someone else comes in.

"Finnigan," the new person spits.

"Malfoy," he shoots back.

I glance over my shoulder to see Seamus peering back at me before stepping out into the muddy street. Draco watches him leave before walking over to where I sit and taking the seat previously inhabited by Seamus.

"Not even going to ask?" I ask sarcastically.

He stares at me for a second before breaking down, "May I sit here?"

"Yes, you may sit there."

He sits there fidgeting and jumping at every tiny noise for a minute before I speak again, "You seem a bit nervous today. Does Seamus really scare you that much?"

"No," he scoffs, "I'm just... not sure."

"Anxious for no reason, I see," I nod to make the statement seem official, "I think I have a way to fix your ailments."

"And, what would that be?"

"Come with me and I'll show you," I don't wait for him to react or agree before I head off out the door and down the street. He catches up with me quickly.

"Where are we going?"

"Probably nowhere near where you're thinking," I lead his down a narrow path to the clearing right outside of the Shrieking Shack.

"The Shrieking Shack? Why here?"

"Don't worry it isn't haunted. But, we aren't going any closer. It's peaceful enough out here."

"Scared?"

"No. Because, unlike some people, I know why it has its name."

"And you assume I don't?"

"I doubt you do. Sit down on the log over there," I point to a fallen tree on the edge of the small muddy clearing.

He does as I say and I walk over and sit next to him.

"Tell me a story that'll clear my head," he asks, just as a small child might request a bedtime story.

"What? Something like the Tales of Beetle the Bard? My mum used to read me those."

He shakes his head, "No, something about you. Something happy."

"Oh," I take a minute to think before continuing, "My first memory is from when I was about three years old. I was in my room playing with my mums owl. He, of course, wanted nothing to do with me and flew away. I started crying for my mum, but- instead of her coming into my room- Snape walks in, comes over and sits on the floor next to me. By now, I have stopped crying, and instead I'm laughing. He got up and picked me up and spun me around, like I was on a broom or flying with the owls."

Draco looks down at me and smiles, "I could never imagine him doing that."

"Oh yeah! Well what's your favorite memory?"

"When I was little I found a hole in the fence surrounding the estate. So, when my father was away doing things, I would sneak out through the hole in the fence and explore. Then he found out and fixed the fence using magic, but it's still pretty weak if you really wanted to get out."

"Wow. That's the best you can come up with? Really?"

He laughs before responding, "No, but the other one's are closer to today in date. I don't want to bore you with things you already know."

"Are you saying _I _have witnessed your best memory?"

"Do you remember when we met?" he asks suddenly.

"Um... I think so..."

"I told you the castle looked dull... You said I must not see very well."

"And then I called you a prick. And, you said you see just fine."

"I do. I thought you were going to be in Slytherin- you looked like a Slytherin. But, you ended up a Gryffindor and friends with Potter."

"It could have gone both ways. Plus, Ron and Harry were already my friends anyway."

"I saw you get on the train that day, your mum looked familiar. I didn't know why though. Still don't really."

"We look alike. That's probably it."

We sit for awhile longer, "You look like you've finally calmed down."

He nods, "Let's go get a drink."

He stands and waits for me to do the same.

"Not really one for a view, huh?" I ask sarcastically.

He smiles and pulls me up to stand next to him, we walk off back along the pathway to the Hog's Head. When we enter I take the booth seat and he gets two mugs of butterbeer.

"Here you go," he says handing me the mug.

"_Andi?_" a shrill voice sounds from behind him. I peer around him.

"H-Hermione?" I stutter, shocked. Other than for the one Dumbledore's Army meeting we had here, she has never been here.

"Andi?" she repeats, "And Malfoy?"

He doesn't deny it, just slips into the seat across from me.

"Draco Malfoy and Alexandria Irbane. Why am I not surprised?" she sounds and looks incredibly angry, her fists are jammed on her hips.

"Herm-"

"Ah ah!" she stops me from speaking and turns a finger to Draco, "It _was _your jacket I saw in her room! You're wearing it right _now_."

I don't know why she decided _that _is the place to stop, maybe she's just that angry, but, she turns and rushes out of the Hog's Head pub. I scramble out of the booth seat and run after her.

She's almost running through the rain when I make it out into the street.

"Hermione!" I yell as I run after her.

She doesn't turn. I grab her arm when I catch up to her.

"Hermione!"

She turns around to face me, "Andi! What were you thinking? Wait, I know, _nothing_! Why would you do this! You know that Harry thinks he's a Death Eater! You know that he's working on a task for You Know Who! You know that Harry and Ron and nearly everyone else in your house _hates _Malfoy! Why didn't you think? Sometimes you just _don't _think! I should have known sooner!"

By the time she stops yelling, she's crying.

"Hermione... I didn't mean to do anything. Nothing has really happened. I just- I..."

"You didn't think. Start using your head, Andi!"

"But, Hermione!" By this time there are tears streaming down my face as well.

"I got the clues! I can't believe I didn't see this coming!"

"You couldn't have! Nothing has happened! He doesn't mean anything! He's just... he's _just_ Malfoy!"

"Fine. I believe you. Maybe you should tell him that," she says it deadly calm, and nods her head to behind where we are standing before walking calmly back up the road.

Slowly, I turn to see a completely drenched Draco Malfoy standing where Hermione had motioned to.

"Draco," I breath, so quietly that even I can barely hear it. For some reason, my whole head knows that this is a bad situation- that I shouldn't have said that. I can feel the hot tears sliding down my cheeks through the rain as I stare up at him.

He nods, as if just understanding something, "_Just _Malfoy."

He charges around me, up to the castle, leaving me behind- not looking over his shoulder even once.

The hot tears begin to slide freely down my cheeks and gasps escape my mouth as I make my way back up to the castle. Once I reach the castle, I go down the stairs instead of up.

I come to the dark, dungeon-like passage that leads to a big uninviting wooden door. I walk down the corridor and knock lightly on the door.

A few seconds go by before it creaks open and, before me, I see my father. I don't give him much time to react, I just hug him tightly. Tears start to dampen his shirt.

"Andi?" he says, confused. He closes the door behind me and sits me down on one of the various chairs that litter his office. I stare up into his almost black eyes, he looks so young. Sometimes I forget just how young he is, only thirty-seven. He's so young to be my father, but then so is my mum.

I wipe the tears from my eyes and we sit in silence for however long it is- probably around fifteen minutes.

"Thanks... Dad," I say before picking myself up and stepping out into the darkly lit hallway outside his office.

He stares after me as I walk down the corridor and up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. When I reach the common room I run up the stairs to my room and sit on my bed in the relatively dark room until a knock sounds on my door.

"Who is it?" I question weakly.

"Andi, it's Hermione."

I walk over to the door and unlock it for her. She enters the room and locks the door again behind her. I return to sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Andi. I know I should be mad- and, trust me, I am- but, you stood by me, so I'm standing with you."

"What?" I ask confused.

"I won't tell, until you're ready."

"Why?"

"Because, when Ron was mad at me you were with me the whole time. It's my turn to return the favour."

"Really?"

"Yeah," her voice is so calm and sympathetic it almost makes me cry. _Merlin, I feel like such a wimp._

"What _is_ going on with you two?"

"Nothing really. Not really," I know that all I'm trying to do is convince myself that that is it.

"Really?"

"I don't know."

"What did he say after I left?"

"He repeated what I said: '_Just _Malfoy'. It wasn't really what he said though, he just looked so hurt. And then, he left."

She sits down on the bed next to me and slips her arm around my shoulders, "Oh."

"I'm not sure where we stand. It keeps changing. I don't want to be just the person he..."

Hermione looks at me curiously, but doesn't push it.

"I don't want to be just another girl."

She takes a moment before responding, "I don't think that he thinks you're just another girl to him if he looked as hurt as you made it sound. He probably has actual... you know... for you."

"I can't believe I was so stupid as to be friends with him. I mean my _best friends_ hate him!"

"That's true- we do hate him quite a bit. And, that's not going to just disappear overnight. But, we love you, and that won't disappear either. You're still the same person, Andi, you just have an extra something added on."

"Well, I don't think there's anything to know about it anyway. I probably just ruined whatever it was by saying that."

"Mhmm, I'm going to go now. Have a good night, Andi. See you at breakfast."

"Thanks Hermione," I whisper as she walks out the door. She pauses and smiles back at me before closing the door behind her.

I wake up in the morning, Sunday, in the same clothes I was in yesterday, on top of the sheets on my bed.

I quickly take a shower and put on a clean pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweater and head down to the great hall for breakfast. When I reach the entrance to the great hall, I pause, I don't really feel like seeing anyone this morning. So, I turn around and head down the stairs to the basement. I tickle the green ear and step into the kitchens.

Almost instantly, I am bombarded by a mass of house-elves asking what I want.

"Is Dobby here?"

"Dobby is here, miss!" Dobby comes rushing forward from the back of the mass.

"Hello Dobby!" I exclaim to the three-foot house-elf at my feet.

"What can Dobby do for Miss Alexandria Irbane?" He is the only person that has always called me Alexandria.

"Can I have some food please, Dobby?"

"Dobby would be happy to! Follow me!" he runs off in the direction of the smell of food. I follow him over to the long tables set directly under the various tables in the great hall.

He finds a plate and starts loading it with all the food choices he can find and fit without it overflowing.

"Dobby, how do these tables work?" I ask as he hands me the plate.

"Dobby thinks they are magicked. The food appears to replace that that has been removed."

"Would other things be able to go up?" I ask.

"Dobby doesn't know. But, Dobby can try for Alexandria Irbane."

"Could you, Dobby?"

"Dobby can try! What does miss want to go up?"

"A note."

He scurries off to fetch a piece of parchment and a quill. When he returns, I sit in a corner with the parchment and my plate of food and write a quick note.

_I'm sorry, Draco. -A._

"Here you go, Dobby," I hold out the paper for him.

He takes it and trots over to the tables, "Where should Dobby put the note, miss?"

"At the end of this table, please," I point to the end of the table that Draco normally sits at. Dobby scampers over to where I pointed and places the note on the table. Seconds later it disappears- one can only assume it went up.

Dobby leaps into the air and exclaims, "It worked!"

"Good job Dobby! Thank you!" I sit back down in the corner and finish my breakfast. When I hear the bells ring from the clock tower I give Dobby my plate- he insists on washing it for me- and head down the hall and up the stairs to the third floor DADA classroom. I take a seat in the middle row of the classroom next to Hermione. Harry and Ron nod hello when they see me come in, they're sitting at the table to our right.

"Where were you this morning for breakfast?" Hermione asks nonchalantly when I drop into the seat next to her, slamming my books on the table.

"I went to the kitchens to see Dobby."

"Oh, have you eaten?"

"Yeah, that's the main reason I went down."

"Good."

"Alright, students, open to page one-hundred and fifty-two in your textbooks and we shall begin," Snape announces upon entering the room.

He lectures for the rest of the class, and I look around the room every couple minutes for a sign of Draco. He shows up about half an hour into class.

Snape stops class to draw attention to him, "Mister Malfoy, you are late yet _again_. This time I cannot dismiss you from detention tonight at eight in my office."

He continues after that with whatever the lecture is about, I zoned out about five seconds into it. Hermione is taking the notes I'll use later for the homework.

When the clock rings again to mark the end of class, Draco is the first one out the door. I pack up and walk out with Hermione, Harry, and Ron.

Upon seeing Draco go up the stairs, I excuse myself from our little group- strange looks from Harry and Ron, a rather displeased, but understanding, one from Hermione. I walk down the hall for as long as I think they still may be able to see me and then turn and run up the flights of stairs.

I see him ahead of me on the seventh floor passage outside of the room of requirements.

"Draco!" He doesn't pause, if anything he hastens his speed.

"Draco!" I try again. Same response, so I start running down the hall after him.

"Draco! Please!" I pull on his arm when I catch up to him. He shrugs me off and keeps walking, as if I'm not there.

"Draco! I'm sorry!" I plead.

He keeps going, ignoring me.

"Draco, please, I didn't mean what I said! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry..." My voice dies away to a whisper.

He spins around this time to face me.

"Sometimes _sorry _doesn't work," he spits bitterly before spinning around and stalking off.

I swear it feels like agony as I watch him walk away. I am so unsure about everything these days, and this feeling of pain just makes me more confused. I shouldn't care this much about him. I don't even know if I do.

"I'm sorry anyway, Draco!" I call after him, tears sting the corner of my eyes as I march back the way I came.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Hello awesome people! I have missed you! I'm sorry I am late by three days... I had/have the flu and before right now I just wasn't feeling up to writing the end of the chapter and posting for y'all just yet. I really appreciate the new story followers and favourites! Very nice of you! Even an author follow (thankyouthankyouthankyou!)! I would REALLY appreciate it (I would probably love you guys forever) if you review! I have already mentioned this, but, I LOVE reading reviews! So, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter Twelve

"Hagrid!" I yell when I see him with Fang outside his cottage. I skid through the mud and pouring rain to reach him.

He looks up from his work, "Andi! Pleasure to see ya! What can I do for ya?"

"Do you have any dittany I could use for a potion?"

"Sorry Andi, I don't have any left from the rain," he shrugs his shoulders and motions to the rain pelting down around us.

"Thanks anyway. I'll see you later Hagrid!" I shout through the rain before heading back toward the castle.

I walk up the giant granite stone steps on my way back from Hagrid's house in the pouring rain. Ahead of me, also on their way back up, is a tall dark figure- other than the light hair I can just make out through the rain.

"Draco?" I question myself, I start running up the stairs after the figure.

When I get close enough I can see that it is, indeed, Draco.

"I'm still sorry you know, Draco!" I stop on the steps behind him and yell through the rain.

Just like last time, he keeps walking up the steps.

"Draco! Please!"

He keeps walking.

I run up a couple more steps, "Draco! I didn't mean it!"

He turns and barges down the steps to where I am standing, "I've already told you: sorry doesn't cut it sometimes, Andi."

He turns back up the steps.

"I'm not giving up this time, Draco!" I run up the steps and stop right in front of him, "You have to let me explain myself!"

"What _exactly_ do you have to explain?" he spits.

"I didn't mean _anything _I said to her."

"Well, Andi, that's great!" he says in an overly excited voice.

"Why can't you hear what I am trying to say?"

"I _can_ hear you! You're yelling in my ear!"

"Why isn't sorry good enough for you?" I drop my voice to a near whisper.

"Why does it have to be?"

"Because, for some reason, I'm willing to run after you _multiple_ times yelling I'm sorry! And, now, I'm drenched and freezing!"

"Fine. What exactly are you sorry for?"

"Draco, I am sorry that I told _anyone_ that you don't mean anything to me. You do. You've meant various things to me the entire time I have known you. And, right now, I just don't understand it," while I talk it feels like the rain and everything surrounding us melts away so I can tell him everything.

"What don't you understand?"

"I don't understand _how_ I feel about you."

"How do you think you feel?" the anger in his voice subsides in favor of curiosity.

"Why so many questions?"

"Because you seem to have a lot of answers."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," he probably isn't expecting it, but I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him into a hug, placing my head against his chest.

"I'm really sorry I hurt you, Draco," I whisper into his rain-soaked shirt.

"Maybe you should figure out how you feel before anything happens," he says pushing me away gently.

I can't believe I am going to divulge this information, but, when he says that I can feel a single tear slide down my cheek through the pouring rain.

"Fine," I breath, then rush away up the steps to the castle.

"He said that!" Hermione gasps as I recount the story for her while we sit on my bed sharing a chocolate bar.

I laugh.

"What?"

"Thank you for trying."

She laughs before responding, "All I have to do is pretend we aren't talking about Malfoy. You deserve someone to talk to sometimes."

"We both do."

"Did he really say that?"

"Yeah," I nod and take another bite of the bar.

"Somehow I can't imagine that coming out of his mouth."

"I guess."

"So... How _do _you feel?"

"I don't know. That's why he said that."

"Maybe you should try to figure it out then."

"I should," I nod again.

"Do you need help?"

"I don't know."

"Which obviously means yes."

"Why would 'I don't know' mean yes?"

"Because you have always asked me about these things," she takes a bite of the chocolate bar and smiles.

"What is your professional opinion then, Miss Hermione Granger?"

"Well, you've never seemed this invested in a guy before. Not when you aren't dating them, that is."

"What are you saying? He's just my 'secret friend'?"

"Not exactly."

"Yeah, but what else is there?"

"I can't believe I am going to be the one to tell you this..." she takes another bite of her bar with a pensive look on her face.

"What!"

"What if you have _actual_ feelings for him?" she shivers, the thought of anyone feeling that way for Draco probably _does _make her sick.

"What! Me? I would never!" I don't have the slightest hint of sarcasm in my voice as I say it.

"Yes. You. Now."

"Hermione!"

"Andi! It isn't a joke. You do, or you wouldn't act like this."

"How do I know though?"

"It's your job to know how far your feelings reach for him. You have to find that out yourself."

We sit in silence for a few minutes finishing our chocolate bars.

"Exploding snap?" I ask when we are both finished.

"Yes!" She hops off the bed and grabs the deck from my trunk.

I wait by the stairway coming from the seventh floor corridor for about forty-five minutes before the tall, dark figure of Draco Malfoy appears outside of the room of requirements.

He walks quickly down the hallway to the stairs. When he reaches the first step, I walk out from where I am standing.

"You know, I really hate waiting," I come up and lean against the stair rail.

"That doesn't bode well."

"Draco, you have to go out into the world and try before you can give up entirely."

"Try what?"

"Whatever _this_ is," I motion to the space between us.

"What is this?"

"This is us, I guess."

"Okay," he shrugs and heads down the stairs. I just stand there for a moment watching him leave, confused.

"Isn't that what you wanted me to say? I'll leave all of this behind and go back to planting stink bombs wherever you are if that's what you want!"

"No. I'm just tired."

"Well... I didn't expect you to jump for joy or anything. Maybe you should know... I still don't know how I feel."

"Then why did you just say that you want to try 'whatever _this_ is'?"

"Because, I just... I just don't know! Sometimes people have to jump into things not knowing what's going to happen."

"Sometimes you have to know what's happening."

"Sometimes you don't."

"Well, I do," he heads back down the stairs. I stay quiet and still until I can't see him anymore, then head up to my room.

When I reach my room, I walk over to the windowsill and sit watching the moon through the dark clouds, waiting for the rain to start again.

Coal comes up to the windowsill and starts meowing for attention, so, I pick him up and continue to sit staring out the window while stroking him.

I wake up in the morning to the shock of leaning against the freezing cold window in the same clothes I wore yesterday- obviously. I look over at my bed to see Coal sleeping, fully stretched, across the middle of it. And, the clock next to my bed says eight o'clock.

It takes me a second to fully realize that eight o'clock is late. And, when I do, I scramble over to change my clothes and pull my hair into a ponytail before running down to the great hall for a quick bite to eat.

I stumble a couple of times on my way to the great hall and find, when I arrive, a minimal amount of students, one of which being Hermione.

"Hey Hermione! Where is everyone? Classes start soon right?"

She looks at me funny before saying, "Andi, it's Saturday. Everyone is either in Hogsmeade or bed."

"Oh. I thought today was Friday."

"I figured," she pats the seat next to her for me to join.

I sit down and grab an apple.

"Did you talk to him?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"No."

"Oh."

We sit in silence for a moment, staring at our food.

She looks up from her plate, "Are you giving up?"

I nod, "Yes."

Another lapse of silence.

"No," she shakes her head, "I still really hate him, but no. You cannot give up."

"Why? All he does is say no."

"Since when have you given up?"

I turn to look at her with a raised brow, "Really?"

"Yes, really."

She stares, unblinkingly, into my eyes.

"Fine, but I don't know what I'm supposed to try next."

"Try telling him exactly how you feel."

Again, we sit in silence before she nudges me with her shoulder. I get the hint and look up. Across the great hall, Draco has just walked in alone for his breakfast.

"Now?" I hesitate.

She shakes her head, "Wait for him to leave, then go after him."

I nod, "Okay."

I eat the remainder of my breakfast while waiting, Hermione nudges me again when he stands to head out of the great hall.

"Go," she whispers before pulling out a book from the bag sitting next to her.

I get up and follow him out the door. He's almost to the lake by the time I get outside. He's walking really fast. I skip down the rest of the steps down to the lake and follow him to the secluded spot I found in fourth year.

He sits down, his back leaning against the trunk of the tree, looking out across the lake. I stand for a moment on the edge of the clearing.

"It's not good form to follow someone without making yourself known," he says looking in the opposite direction, across the lake.

"I was told to follow you."

He stays silent for a moment, "Andi. What?"

"I was told not to give up."

"You're being told to do quite a few things."

"I _want _to tell you something."

He glances away from the lake, "What?"

"I don't know why, but I..."

"That's not a good way to start," he smirks.

"I miss you!"

"You do?"

"Yes."

"So what? You probably miss your mum, too."

"No, this is different."

He stands up and slowly makes his way over to where I am standing, right inside the branches of the willow tree.

"How?" He says it aggressively, but desperately.

"It- it just _is_!"

"It just is is not a good enough reason!"

"I-" my voice stops working.

"You? You _what_, Andi?" by this point he is yelling angrily.

"I-" my voice keeps stopping, I just don't know what I'm saying yet.

"You have no reason! I'm _just Malfoy_! Remember?"

I shake my head and whisper, "No!"

"I don't want to argue anymore!" He storms past me through the branches.

I follow him through the branches and watch him make his way up to the stone steps that lead up to the castle.

My voice comes back to me as I watch him storm his way up the steps.

"We should try being just friends Draco, we kind of skimmed that part," I yell after him.

He slowly walks back to where I am standing, "And what makes you think that'll be any different than it is now?"

"Because we haven't tried it yet, and anything untried is worth trying," I shrug.

He looks at me as if he wants to say something important again- like in the Prefect bathroom- but instead just stretches out his arm, "Friends."

"Friends," for good measure, before shaking his hand, I lick it then firmly shake his hand.

He winces, "What's the matter Malfoy, a little spit got you worried?" I ask sweetly.

"Gryffindor filth is what I call it."

"Fine add some Slytherin slime to the mix," I shrug.

"No, it doesn't work. Your spit is already in there, you're part Slytherin."

"Sorry Draco, that's not how houses work. I am a Gryffindor, like my mum. Get over it and add some Slytherin spit. And then try to say that ten times fast," I grin as he reluctantly takes his hand away and licks it, then offers it again.

"Good boy," I take his hand again.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Hey guys, I know what you're thinking (that's right: mind reader!): Late... AGAIN! Sorry about that, by the way. And, I feel bad for admitting this to you guys but... this chapter... is kind of a... filler chapter... I worked hard on it, but it is just helping me get to this other scene that I already have written and I am so EXCITED to share with you guys! But, I can't yet. We'll see, it might fit into the next chapter... In fact, maybe for my tardiness I'll give you guys two chapters this week... we'll see. PLEASE REVIEW!**

**gotalife (I always feel like adding: 'You'd better believe it!' to the end of that...)**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

I pull on a pair of blue jeans and a black v-neck t-shirt after stepping out of the shower and drying off. Then, using a drought charm, I dry my hair and pull it up into a messy ponytail, and pull on my converse. In my peripheral vision, as I walk out my bedroom door, I see a clean creamy envelope with the neat, unread, scribblings of McGonagall spelling out my name- a summons, no doubt, I'm just not in the mood. I ignore it, and head down to the great hall for breakfast. I hum to myself the whole way down. I am feeling abnormally (for me) happy this morning- especially considering the letter.

I sit down between Hermione and Harry at the Gryffindor table. Across from us, Ron pauses long enough between heaping mouthfuls of food to ask, "Having a happy start to your Saturday, Andi?"

I shrug, and continue to hum as I pick out my breakfast. It has been a full week since I decided to be friends with Draco Malfoy, and it has not backfired on me- yet. We haven't actually had much time to talk lately because I was forced to pull my head out of the gutter and wonder what had happened to my Potions grade. I actually got called out of class on Wednesday to talk about it with McGonagall. She thinks that I need a tutor and I shouldn't be doing this poorly second semester considering that I did fairly well on my OWL for Potions. But, oh well. I am getting a tutor. Again, the name of my tutor is probably in the letter from her, or her summoning me so she can tell me herself.

Most people, if they knew that he is my father, would wonder why I don't just ask Snape to help me a little. The answer to that is simple: I don't like to look weak- or stupid- in front of him, plus he isn't the Potions teacher anymore..

Hermione's cough brings me back to the present, "Did you hear what Harry asked?"

I can feel my face redden as I stare at her, I quickly glance at Harry- who shrugs- and back again, "Did he say anything?"

She looks at Harry suspiciously then at me, but gives up on whatever she was after, "We are going to go down to Hagrid's today. Do you want to come or do you have tutoring sessions to fill?"

"Actually, I think I do," I say, remembering the note.

"Maybe it's time you finally read that note then, hmm?" she asks, arching her eyebrows.

"Couldn't you just tutor me?"

"Well, yes. But, only if she says it's okay. Okay? Plus, she might have other ideas."

I nod my head and start eating my toast.

"Why don't you just use my book in class?" Harry asks unexpectedly.

Hermione stops eating, and, with her eyes wide and mouth agape, peers around me to stare angrily at his offer.

I chuckle briefly, "Harry, I would never do that. What if Slughorn saw it and took it away or something? Or recognized the handwriting and knew it wasn't mine or yours?"

"We'd get it back."

"No, Harry. Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll stick with the tutor."

Ron looks up from his food again, "Since when have you needed a tutor for Potions anyway, Andi? You were always second in that class only to Hermione."

"Yeah, but that's when Snape was teaching the class. Slughorn never shuts up. And, Snape never talked."

He chokes momentarily on a laugh, nods, and starts eating again.

Hermione jabs me sharply in the ribs with her elbow and jerks her head toward the teacher table where McGonagall is standing up, looking directly at me.

"You should go talk to her now."

I shake my head, "She looks really peeved."

"Only because you aren't already up there talking to her."

She gives me one of her you-should-be-grateful-for-the-opportunity glares until I hesitantly pull out of my spot between Harry and her and make my way up to where McGonagall is now waiting by the door.

"Miss Irbane, I would have expected a response from you earlier than this."

I nod my head as if pondering the idea, "Well, you see Professor, I haven't actually had the time to catch up on letters recently, so I haven't read anything that you may have sent to me," I smile sheepishly.

She snorts- a ladylike, expected-from-her-type, snort, "Miss Irbane, your tutor will be Blaise Zabini."

_What? Who in Merlin's name is that?_

"Who?" I ask confused.

"The young man sitting at the Slytherin table right over there with Draco Malfoy."

"That's his name? I can't have a Slytherin as my tutor!"

"And why not, Miss Irbane?"

"Well... It'll ruin my rep!"

She looks at me skeptically and crosses her arms, "Miss Irbane, if you want to pass this class you are going to have to be tutored by Mister Zabini."

"But,I already know how to do the stuff, I just need catch up! Anything but this!" I clasp my hands and shake them in desperation.

She shakes her head in response, "No, you must learn the missed coursework. And, you will do that under the tutoring of Blaise Zabini. That is final," she raises her eyebrow, as if daring me to protest again, then turns back to the other professors, "Go speak to him and find a time the two of you can meet."

My jaw drops, "I have to go over _to him_?"

"Yes. Go. Now."

Eyes wide, jaw picked up, I shuffle hesitantly over to where he is sitting with Draco. I stop directly behind where he is sitting and wait.

After a moment of waiting, Pansy Parkinson points to me and sneers, "Blaise, I think there is someone waiting for you."

Slowly, very slowly, he turns around to see me. He takes a moment to say absolutely nothing then, "Potions section in the Library, five o'clock tonight. Do not be late."

I feel rage sweep through my body as he tells me what to do, but then glance sideway to Draco and hold it back.

I nod and march back to the Gryffindor table.

"What was that about?" Harry asks when I get back to them.

"Blaise Zabini is my tutor for Potions," I spit angrily.

"He was on the train with Malfoy! You could get information from him!"

I look seriously at Harry, "I am not doing that."

"Harry don't be ridiculous! She needs to study when she is with him!" Hermione agrees.

"I would prefer to just _not _go," I sit down between her and Harry to continue eating.

As much as I hate to admit it, at five o'clock I head down to the Library for my tutoring session with Zabini. I arrive at exactly five-o-five.

I find him sitting at a table at the end of one of the rows of books in the Potions section and sit down across from him.

"What's first?"

"Punctuality."

"Excuse me?"

"It is five-o-five."

"So?"

"You are wasting my time."

"You are wasting mine!"

"Just- be on time."

"Gah! Whatever!" I slap the table angrily and peer around him to the books in their shelves.

Nothing new to report among the books until I recognize a wisp of platinum blond hair peeking out from behind some of the closest books in the shelf. The hair moves and I spot the icy grey eyes peek through.

_What the hell? _

Zabini notices my lack of concentration, "What are you looking at?"

Right as he asks, Draco is politely asked to move by a third year and stumbles backwards into the aisle visible from where we are sitting.

"Hey, watch it!" he whispers angrily at the third year.

Zabini turns to see where I am staring and notices Draco. Very good timing, because, as he turned his head away from me, a smile breaks out on my face.

"Malfoy. What are you doing here?" Zabini asks accusingly.

I sit back in my chair and drape my arm over the back of the seat, "Yes, Malfoy, what _are_ you doing here?"

"Oh, you know," he pauses and rubs the back of his neck, "Just... reading about Potions."

Zabini snorts, "Okay. Whatever."

He obviously doesn't believe anything Draco said, but turns back to me anyway.

Draco smiles mischievously at me before walking off in the opposite direction. I grin quickly, then try to hide it, and turn back to Zabini.

He notices, no doubt, but chooses to ignore it, "How much have you missed?"

"Not much," I shrug.

"That is barely an answer."

I sigh, "Just the last couple weeks. My head has been elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?" he raises his eyebrow. Obviously, he isn't completely blind.

"Whatever. Can you help me or not?"

"I'm not going to help you brew anything. Just go over with you what to do."

"Works for me."

"Good, I'll handle the distractions."

I smile innocently, "What distractions?"

"I meant Malfoy. He shouldn't be here, and I don't know why he was."

"Oh yeah, right, him. Whatever. Let's get started."

He shakes his head almost imperceptibly before opening the Potions book sitting in front of him. We sit there for awhile before he stands up and excuses himself.

I follow suit, but instead of going back to my own common room, I head out to my secluded spot by the lake.

Once I get there, I set down all of my things, take off my shoes, roll up my pants, and walk out into the cold water of the lake. I pick up a few stones to skip. A couple minutes later, I hear another pair of footsteps wading through the water out to where I am standing.

"I figured you were still in the library."

"Oh, you did, did you?" Draco asks doubtingly.

I turn around to face him, "Yeah. I did. And, I was right. Wasn't I?"

"Yeah," he nods and picks up a few rocks of his own.

I skip a rock, then watch him attempt to do the same. His rock just splashes into the water.

I laugh, "Did you think you could just pick up a rock and know how to do it?"

"One can assume that is how one can learn," he smiles. He holds out his handful of rocks.

I take a look at his rocks, "You won't be able to skip wit any of those, none of them are flat. You need a flat rock."

He rolls his eyes, "Flat shaped rock."

He attempts to skip another one of his round rocks, once again it just splashes once.

"Okay, master of rock skipping, what do I do?"

"Well, first you need a flat rock," I hand him one of my rocks.

He takes my rock, "Next."

"Stand with your non-dominant side to the direction you are throwing. Then, flick your wrist. And, voi la."

He tries it as I told him to and still fails miserably. Turning to me, he rolls his eyes, "If I didn't know any better I would say you are purposely being a horrible teacher."

"What can I say?" I ask grinning and shrug my shoulders.

He looks at me seriously for a moment before an evil grin crosses his face.

He only gives me a second to recognize the look before splashing toward me and knocking me down into the water. His arms wrapped around my waist, as I sink below the water, I pull him down with me and we both end up completely submerged.

I come up splashing and gasping for air. He follows a moment later.

"What the hell was that for!" I yell before flicking some water in his face.

"That hardly makes a difference now," he laughs.

I roll my eyes, get up and walk over to a fallen branch sprouting out above the water. Big enough to sit on, I sit at the top of the arch, which is high enough that my legs are hanging in air.

Draco picks himself up out of the water and makes his way over to the same branch. His feet can touch the water.

"You know," I say after awhile of swinging my legs back and forth while sitting next to Draco on the log, "When I was little, before Austin was born, my mum and I would go down to this lake that was a while away from where we live. She taught me how to skip stones and then we would play around in the water until it got dark and she would make us walk home in the moonlight dripping wet."

He sits there awkwardly for a moment, "You know, I would say something about my family in response. But, I don't have many warm and fuzzy memories of those people."

"Make up a story then."

He sits and thinks for a minute, "So, there's this boy- he has very blond hair and grey eyes- and there's this girl- she has raven black hair and green eyes with some flecks of blue. These kids are friends, but no one but them knows. And, they do things together. Like this one time, the boy was unhappy and drank too many butterbeers on Christmas. The girl came and found him in the pub and took him back to his room, when he asked her to stay she left. Another time the girl- who never told the boy why, by the way- was very drunk and the boy took care of her, she kissed him but it was sloppy and smelled of firewhiskey. Another time, the girl was standing out in the hallway, instead of in the party, and the boy found her, he kissed her when midnight came around. Then she went back to her party and undoubtedly kissed many other, much more drunk, boys. And, on the night of this girls birthday, they did some things. Then she was kidnapped and the boy sent her uncle to save her. Then the girl said some things to a friend when the friend saw the two secret-friendshippers together in the same pub as everything else. The boy was very upset, he threw himself back into his work and refused to talk to the girl. But, then she told him a story from her past and he told her their past. The end," he finishes.

"You left out some things."

"I know. Is that the first thing you are going to say about my wonderful story? It is twice as long as yours, by the way."

"Right, well, I have another one. Here's how it goes: There was this girl and this boy and we've already heard what they look like. They were sitting on this branch above a lake and the girl was telling a story when she suddenly gets the idea to push the boy off the branch into the water for telling her a story she already knew. The end," I finish and push him off the branch into the water.

"P.S. He gets wet," I whisper when Draco gets back to his feet, his hair dripping from the renewed soaking.

"Obviously," he holds out his hand.

"Um, no. I will get off this branch by myself," I rebuke as I attempt to squirm off the branch. My foot slips and I fall into the water below, soaking myself again in the process.

He starts laughing and offers me his hand again, this time I take it and pull him down as I attempt to stand up. I march out of the water over to the stuff I left by the tree trunk. Pulling out my wand, I use the drought spell to dry myself off a bit. By this time, he has walked out of the water after me and is now soaking my bag from the water running off of his body and dripping down. I roll my eyes at him and dry him off as well.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**I realize that this will not be my _longest _chapter, but I promise you it is worth the read! I finally got over my writer's block... hah hah, it only took a month... _And_, I got the scene that I was REALLY excited to show you guys into this chapter! Don't worry, the next chapter should be longer! I love you guys! Please _REVIEW_!**

**gotalife**

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Chapter Fourteen

In the last week of April, I walk into my tutoring session with Zabini and sit down across from him at what has become our usual spot.

"Andi."

"Zabini."

"Whatever."

Silence.

He continues, "I am very happy to inform you that your grades in Potions are high enough and you are doing well enough to pass the class both in class and in our _wonderful_ tutoring sessions that you have the choice of dropping tutoring."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Awesome," I pick up my bag, "I hope I won't have to see you again under these pretences, or ever."

"Same here."

I turn and exit the library.

"That was quick," Draco appears beside me as I walk down the hall.

"Yeah, I am just to good for him," I smile up at him.

"Makes sense," he smiles back and winks.

"You did not just do that!" I laugh at his attempted implication.

He raises his eyebrows implicitly and smirks, "You know it."

"I can't believe I'm friends with you!"

"Oh? Friends, is _that _what we are?"

"Is there anything else we could be?"

His face goes blank and he pauses before saying, "No."

"That's what I thought too," I respond right as Pansy Parkinson and her fleet of Draco lovers come around the corner.

"Draco!" Pansy squeals before noticing I am there, "What is _she_ doing here?"

Draco does a good job of covering it up, but, he looks a little panicked while coming up with his answer.

I jump in, "As I was saying, _Malfoy_, slither off to the pathetic little hole you hail from," I glance sideways at Pansy and almost literally spit, "You too, _Parkinson_."

Draco, Pansy, and her followers look stunned at what I said, so I take the chance to make my exit up the stairs toward the Gryffindor common room.

Around eight, I exit the common room and head up the stairs to where the Room of Requirements shows up on the seventh floor. Before I turn the corner to where the door is, I hear whispers emanating from the corridor. I stop to listen and peek around the corner.

There, in the hallway, stands Draco with Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini, and a few other Slytherins that I recognize but don't know by name.

"Draco, is it finished yet?", "When are they getting here?", and "When are you _going _to be finished?" are the only sentences I can make out of their conversation, since they are all talking in hushed voices and at the same time. For whatever reason, I decide to pull my wand out of my robe. I stand and watch them for awhile, constantly catching my eyes wandering back to Draco.

After a while, something pokes the back of my neck, and someone's voice follows, "Drop your wand, Irbane."

Although hesitantly, I drop my wand to the floor and turn around to see the short, annoying, puppy dog, lovesick Pansy Parkinson standing in front of me.

"Oh, it's you. Now I'm scared," I say sarcastically.

Her face sours, "Draco. I found a snooper."

She turns me around to see Draco, and the people he was talking to, walk around the corner to see who it is. Of course, it's me.

Draco's eyes widen a tiny bit when he recognizes me, but otherwise he remains impassive.

"What should I do with her?" Parkinson asks from behind me.

Draco hesitates, so I take the chance to speak up.

"Oh, is that what you do for him. You follow his every order. Like a lovesick puppy dog?" I turn back to Parkinson so I can see her reaction, "You are aren't you! You do love him!" Her eyes widen the more I make the accusation, "But, does he love you back? Is he ever going to? So, instead of that, you just do everything he says. Don't you?" She walks around me so I am facing the whole group again, "Correct me if I'm wrong, Parkinson."

The look on her face is hilarious, that must she why she turned us around, so no one can see that she most definitely _is_ in love with Draco Malfoy.

She turns, suddenly, to Malfoy, walks over to him, grabs his shirt, pulls him down to her height, and kisses him right on the lips. After a moment, a very long scandalizing moment, she lets go and turns back to me.

This is when I realize I am standing stock straight with my mouth hanging open and my eyes wide. In fact, Draco looks similar, he's standing more relaxed, but his mouth is open a little and his eyes are very wide.

It's Parkinson's turn to speak up, "I am not in love with Draco Malfoy."

It takes me a moment to find my voice again, "Oh please, and you just wanted to prove it with a kiss?"

She looks absolutely furious. She, not very gracefully but effectively, lunges forward and punches my cheekbone. Not a particularly good punch, but it still sends me back against the wall, my hand goes up to the spot she hit, it may turn up a bruise. If she's lucky.

"Is that all you got?" I ask as I stand up.

She shakes out her fist and straightens up, "Not even close."

The people standing behind her just look shocked, if they weren't acting so dumb this fight could definitely be about six to one. But, they are, so it isn't.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You have seen the ones I have placed on your loved ones face over the years," I smile devilishly.

She doesn't even hesitate, "Oh, I'm sure."

I doubt she has ever been in a fight before.

She lifts her fists into fighting position and steps forward. I do the same. She makes a small swing, which I just look at and grin. She has definitely never been in a fist fight.

"First swing starts it. Oh sorry, first swing to _hit_ anything starts it," I smirk.

She swings again, this time clipping my shoulder lightly, I shrug and do the same to her. So girly, I hate it. She makes another swing for my face, I duck and hit her right under her arm with more force than I intended. She reels back, but manages to regain her balance before swinging again. This time it's hard, and hits me in the same cheek as last time. My head snaps to the left, but I bounce back and jab for her ribs. She blocks and hits my stomach, which I am milliseconds late for blocking. I cough- or hack, however you want to put it. _Time to actually get started then._

I take a moment to straighten up, then run and tackle her to the ground. Me on top of her, any inexperienced fighter doesn't stand much of a chance to regain the upper hand. So, I'm nice and I only punch her a couple times before someone is dragging me off.

"Well, someone finally came to their senses!"

"Irbane, stop," Draco Malfoy's voice says from behind me. He's still holding me back.

Anger overcomes me, he didn't come to _either_ of our defenses. I understand not coming to mine- the whole secret friendship thing, but look at his friend lying on the ground over there- I didn't knock her out, she's just over playing her injuries.

I wheel around and smack him right beside his right eye, that should leave a nice bruise. He reels back, loosening his hold on me.

I pull free, and, before picking my wand up and walking off down the hall, I say, "You deserved that."

He won't come after me. He can't. His reputation is much more important to him than silly little me.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Hi guys! Sorry for the less-than-last-time-but-still-long wait! Thank you for all of the REVIEWS! Please keep REVIEWing! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Another Draco POV chapter! I hope you enjoy! (And please show said enjoyment in the form of REVIEWS/FAVOURITES/FOLLOWS!) I love you all for reading! I'm glad you guys are still reading! Enjoy!**

**gotalife**

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Chapter Fifteen

The area right below my right eye stings as I watch Andi walk quickly- almost running- down the hall, away from us. I want_ so_ badly to go after her, to tell her I am sorry for everything, but I can't. I just can't.

I turn back to Pansy, who has finally stopped moaning on the floor, and help her up. I can still taste her kiss on my lips.

"We should tell a teacher, Snape or someone!" she declares once on her feet.

I hold back a laugh at the thought of telling Snape, "No. We would get in trouble, too. Just forget about it."

"Well, at least she'll have some bruises of her own," she sneers.

"Mhmm," I answer awkwardly, but she doesn't notice.

"It will be funny, won't it?" she asks, as if testing me.

"Oh yeah, hilarious," I say in the same awkward voice. Once again, she does not notice.

"I think we should go back now," I say, thinking that I could slip out later and find Andi.

"Yeah, I guess we should," she answers and the others nod as we head back to the common room.

Later, after making sure that everyone is out of the common room and asleep, so I won't be followed, I pick up my broom and run out into the now raining darkness.

Climbing onto my broom and lifting up into the air, I search through the darkness for the Gryffindor tower. I see it in the distance and mentally remind myself that she is in the top of the tower by herself. _Thank Merlin._

I fly up to the balcony outside her window, set my broom down under the overhang, and walk over to the glass door. Before knocking, I peer through the darkness in the room and spot Andi sitting on the side of her bed looking at the floor. Quietly, I knock.

I see her slip off her bed and walk over to the door. She is wearing striped grass-green and black pajama pants, a skin tight black tank top, and a light pink cotton robe. She looks up at me, taking a moment to recognize me through the dark, and, after realizing it's me, promptly turns back to her bed.

"Come on, Andi!" I say loudly through the glass.

She doesn't turn, she continues to walk to her bed.

"Andi! I know you can hear me!"

This time she turns back to the glass and marches up to me and yells, "I have _nothing_ to say to or hear from you! Leave me alone!"

She turns to go back to her bed, "Andi, _please_."

Turning back, in a deadly calm voice, she says, "Go back to the hole you came from, _Malfoy_. You shouldn't be here."

That stings, but I refuse to give up.

"Andi! Let me explain!"

"What in hell is there to explain? I know what happened! Get out of here!"

It's about now that I realize how hard the rain has become, and that I am drenched from standing out here.

"Andi. Come on. Please!" I plead, ignoring how cold and wet I am.

When she turns back to me, there are tears sliding down her face, and, from the redness, I can tell she was crying before I got here.

"Please leave," she whispers through the glass.

When I don't move, she continues, "Maybe we aren't meant to be friends. It's too hard, harder than it's supposed to be for us to be friends."

My spirits drop a little, "Andi, please let me explain."

She has given up on yelling, she sniffles then says, "Explain what?"

"I..." I pause, "I don't know."

"Then leave."

"No."

"Don't act like a child. I want you to leave."

"I'm cold and wet."

"Then go back to your room."

"But, I am standing right outside _your_ room," it's kind of weird to talk through a glass door.

She just looks up at me, I feel like I can see her deciding whether to let me in or not.

I feel like going inside.

I feel like telling her how wrong I was not to go after her.

I feel like holding her.

I... I feel like kissing her.

I feel like staying with her... forever.

She wipes her eyes and shakes her head, "No. Please, just leave."

"Andi, I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"But, I won't."

"Yes, you will," there is no authority in her voice. Just pleading.

"Andi..."

"No..." her voice cracks, she looks down at the floor again.

"Please, Andi, let me fix this."

"You can fix it by leaving- right now, and forever."

"I'm not leaving you."

"You're going to have to."

"Why?"

She doesn't answer me, she just turns and walks back to her bed, sitting down again on the edge.

I stand for a while longer, but then she lies down facing the opposite direction. I sit on the wall adjacent to the door, with my head leaning against the glass, the rain pelting against my shirt, and the water dripping down my face.

In the morning, I wake up with a blanket draped over me. But, when I look around, I cannot see Andi in her room. I get up, fold the blanket nicely then place it by the door. I grab my broom and, right before taking off, look back into Andi's room to see her emerge from her bathroom in a towel with wet hair.

She sees me and an embarrassed look crosses her face. I smile, and almost slip off my broom, before turning back to concentrate on getting back to my common room in the early morning light.

At breakfast, I take my seat at the Slytherin table next to Blaise, Pansy, and Pansy's group of giggling girls, closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle- who slam down onto the benches beside me, making me bounce a little.

"So, Draco," Pansy says flirtatiously, playing with a strand of her hair, "Where'd you go off to last night?"

"I was working," I say, trying to be general.

"On what?"

"Some things."

"What specifically?"

At that moment, my eyes trail up to where the Gryffindor table is and I see Andi walking in with Granger. She doesn't see me- or she does and just doesn't show it.

"Pansy, just drop it. It's nothing you should be concerned about."

Her face falls, but she persists, "Oh, Draco, _please_,won't you tell us?"

"It does not concern you, Pansy. Let it go."

I risk another glance at the Gryffindor table, and see that Andi is sitting with Potter, Weasley, and Granger now. Potter and Weasley were looking back at us, smirking, but turned their heads when they saw me look up- _pussies._ Granger is talking to the boys about something I am sure holds no importance to me, and Andi is staring pointedly down at her food while saying absolutely nothing.

"Draco, I will _not_ let it go! You left to 'work on something', but no one knows what that is. _I _want to know!"

"Pansy, let it go," I respond quietly.

She inhales deeply as if she is going to say something, but Blaise speaks up first, "Parkinson. Shut it."

Her face goes completely blank, "Well, fine. If you're going to be that way-"

She doesn't finish her sentence, just picks up her stuff and moves to the other side of her group of giggling friends.

I look at Blaise, "Thanks."

He nods and goes back to his food.

I glance up at Andi again, and see her glancing up too. Our eyes meet, and, for once, she doesn't look away.

It stays like that for a moment, before one of her friends beg for her attention- leaving me without it. I turn back to Pansy, who I can hear talking.

"Draco..."

"What?"

She picks up her things and squeezes into the space between me and Crabbe.

"Draco," she whispers, leaning in really close to my ear.

"What?" I ask again in a normal voice.

"Were you out with a girl?"

"What!" I loudly exclaim and turn to her. Her big brown eyes stare up at me, and she has a pouty look on her face- as if she expects me to answer sincerely.

She gasps and whispers loudly, "You were! Weren't you? I can see it from the look on your face!"

I shake my head, "I don't need you spreading rumours, Parkinson."

I slip somewhat ungracefully off of the bench and walk out of the great hall.

Behind me I can hear Pansy calling, "No! Wait, Draco!"

And then, she is walking- or, rather, jogging- next to me as I walk toward the castle entrance.

"Pansy, you should leave, I wouldn't want a girl like you to come to a place like this."

"A girl like me! What's so bad about a girl like me?"

"You don't understand."

She takes a moment to compose herself before answering, "But, Draco, I _do_ understand. I understand perfectly."

The smile on her lips gives away everything, I just don't realize it. And, before I know what's happening, her tongue is, _once again_, in my mouth.

I stumble backwards against the wall. Her eyes are closed, and mine are wide open.

Pansy breaks away as we hear footsteps coming in our direction, of course, it's too late. Before us stands Alexandria Irbane and Hermione Granger. Both standing stock still, Granger with her mouth hanging open a little.

"Close your mouth, Granger. I would have thought you have seen people snog before," Pansy spits, making an obvious reference to Weasley.

Andi says nothing, she just pushes past Pansy and starts to make her way up the stairs.

"And, _you_, Irbane! Is it just too hard to bear that you were wrong about us?"

Andi says nothing and doesn't look back, just continues up the stairs with Granger following.

Once again, I am stuck here with Pansy instead of going after Andi. Isn't this just perfect...

Once they're gone, I turn to Pansy, "Why did you do that?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because I don't really want to get in yet _another_ fight with the same people!"

"Person," she says sounding out every letter carefully.

"Whatever. I already have bruises from last night, I don't need more."

"Fine. Hogsmeade later?" she asks, finally making me notice that it is, indeed, Saturday.

I shake my head, "I can't."

"And why not?"

"I don't need to answer that," I say and walk off toward our common room.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Wow... It has been awhile. And, I am sorry for that. But! Never fear! A new chapter is here! Review! Review! Review! And, to all of you who stick with me: THANK YOU SO MUCH! **

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Chapter Sixteen

"Have you talked to Malfoy lately?" Hermione asks me as we walk down to Hogsmeade for the evening.

I can feel a pull in my gut and a tug on my heart as she asks, I shrug it off but the feeling kind of stays with me as we make our way down the path.

I shake my head, "No. I don't see why I should."

Hermione stays quiet, as if she's expecting me to say more. So I do.

"I should have known that this wouldn't work out. We've always been at odds! I mean, I don't think we ever got through a day without trying to curse one another- and then, trying to hide it from everyone! I shouldn't have been so stupid! I don't _want _to be hidden! I _want _to be in the open, where everyone else is- not stuffed in the closet as if I am a stolen belt!"

Hermione laughs lightly at my comparison, "Andi, you do the same to him."

"Are you, Hermione Jean Granger, defending him?" I look at her in disbelief.

She blushes slightly, "Um, no. I'm just saying that I can see where he's coming from. I mean, you _do_ hide him quite a bit."

"It's a little bit different when I get in a fight with one of his other friends and he doesn't stick up for either one of us, and then doesn't come after me because of his stupid reputation, and the next time I see him he's snogging the same girl that tried to jump me."

"Maybe he wanted to but just couldn't..."

"Yeah! Because of his reputation!" I say as we turn onto the main street of Hogsmeade.

She thought about it for a moment before nodding, "I suppose so. What if you see him in the Hog's Head? You're going down there, like usual, right?"

"Yeah, I am. Hopefully, I will have enough sense to ignore him and hope he doesn't come and sit in my booth."

"Don't drink too much. Promise?"

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything."

"Maybe you should find something... or someone... to keep your mind off of him," Hermione says the sentence as if she's skirting around something, or perhaps _someone_, that she wants me to get to myself.

"I guess I could," I answer, remembering Seamus.

She stops and turns toward me when we reach the Three Broomsticks. Glancing over my shoulder, she smiles, and says "Speaking of," before turning and disappearing through the doors.

I turn in time to see Seamus walking down the lane with Dean. He smiles when he sees me looking at him. I smile back.

"Hey Andi," he says as they get closer.

"Hi Seamus," I answer.

"Are you going inside?" he nods to the doors behind me.

I shake my head, "No, I was actually going to go to the Hog's Head..."

He nods, as if he knows I like it there better. Which he probably does.

"And..."

"And what?"

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me..."

I hadn't been watching Dean through this exchange, but, when I finish asking Seamus, Dean elbows him in his side, as if he was saying it was okay to leave him for me.

Seamus turns red when he notices that I saw Dean elbow him, but he nods and says "Yeah sure. Dean'll be okay without me. Won't ya, Dean?"

"Yeah sure, mate. Go run off on your little date," he pushes Seamus toward me and then walks inside.

I'm sure I am a fierce color of red by now, I ignore the sudden tension and say, "Okay! Let's go!"

The sun has almost set by the time we get to the Hog's Head Inn, but we walk in the doors and over to the bar to get our drinks.

"Hi Aberforth. Could I have a firewhiskey please?" I put the necessary coins on the table.

He nods, then looks at Seamus, "Uh, I'll have the same."

He gets our drinks and we head over to one of the booth seats, I slide into the seat across the table from Seamus.

"It's funny," he says after a minute, "I've never ordered firewhiskey in a pub before."

"Really? I order them all the time."

"Aren't they more intoxicating?"

"Take a sip and you tell me," I say and take a sip of my own. A burning sensation fills my body, and, just like most alcoholic drinks can make you, and I feel like I can conquer my fears.

"Wow," he says after he puts his cup down, "It's an interesting feeling. I've never noticed before how it fills you with a feeling of courage."

"Really? Have you only been drinking it at parties?"

He nods and smiles into his cup.

We don't talk for awhile, just sit and kind of stare at one another while drinking. He downs his mug and gets another one, but I take my time.

Maybe about forty-five minutes after we arrived, the door swings open and in walks two very familiar faces: Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. She hangs on his arm like glue as they walk over to the bar and order drinks.

They sit at a booth across from us, Draco sits facing our booth with Parkinson looking in the other direction. He sees me and I hold his gaze for a moment. Then, while trying not to think about it, I pick up my mug and down the entire thing. Intense courage wells up inside me, and I can't think of anything to do with it, so I just go to the bar and order another one.

I can feel eyes watching me, and, as I turn back to Seamus, I can see both Draco and Seamus staring at me, while Pansy is still blissfully unaware of my presence.

As I walk back to my booth, I make a split second decision to slip into the seat beside Seamus, removing the table from between us. Ironically, Seamus seems to relax, as if me sitting next to him was a wonderful development.

He starts telling me jokes, which I try to listen to, but I can still feel Draco's stare on me. I absently wonder if Seamus has realized that Draco is now in the room.

"... so she jumped in the pot. The end."

I hear the end of Seamus' joke and, for some reason, I laugh. I guess I am feeling a little desperate to forget whatever troubles I have, so I just pick up my mug and down the entire thing- again. Now I am feeling quite a buzz. And, impulsive.

Seamus is staring at me, maybe hungrily- which sounds weird, but that's how it looks. I lock my eyes with his. Tension builds between us, not bad tension either. Static electricity seems to flow between us. My thoughts are a little murky from the drink. And, the fiery feeling still roars through me.

I don't realize I am doing it, but I reach up and lace my fingers through his hair. He leans down ever so slightly, and- I'm not sure why, but- I reach up, keeping our faces maybe a millimeter apart, our eyes still locked together. His blue eyes are really captivating, blue like the sea.

He leans down farther and I meet him. Right as our eyes close and lips touch, there is a screech and a loud thump coming from the booth across from us. Both Seamus and I, jerk back and look over at the sound. Pansy had leaned too far over the side of her seat and toppled to the floor with a loud crash, she was just now picking herself up off the floor. Draco did nothing to help her, he was busy trying to pretend he hadn't been looking over at us.

I slip out of my seat, quickly go over to the bar, order another firewhiskey, and gulp down the entire thing before turning and going back to our booth.

I put the mug down on the table and slip into the seat beside Seamus again. I lean up and whisper in his ear, "Come on, let's go somewhere else."

I take his hand and lead him to the door, outside it is dark and the moon is up in the night sky. When I catch a breath of the fresh night air, I start giggling. Subconsciously, I can tell that tomorrow morning won't be very pleasant.

As I pull Seamus around the corner, Pansy comes bursting out of the doors, fuming. We stop and watch her leave, listening to her talk to herself.

"... Ugh, wouldn't come with me... Stay for awhile... Go back without me..." It dawned on me that she must be talking about Draco, so he must have told her to leave without him. That little fact was almost- _almost_- enough to bring me back to my senses.

But, I turn back to Seamus and he smiles, so I smile, and then I reach up and kiss him. He tastes and smells of firewhiskey- and I'm sure I do too- but his lips are softer than they look, and he kissed me back hungrily, as if he thought this would never happen again. He has a hand resting on the back of my head, and he is now pushed up against the wall of the inn. I snake my hands into his hair.

In the distance- which turns out to be much closer than I thought- I hear someone walking through the doorway and around the corner to where we are standing. Not expecting the person to stop, I don't open my eyes- big mistake.

A hand grips my shoulder and pulls me away from Seamus, sending me toppling into a tree. My eyes flash open before I hit the tree but in the darkness I can't make out who it is or what exactly is happening.

It takes a couple seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, and right before they do, a sickeningly loud _CRACK_-ing impact and then another very loud _THUD_ on the ground. When my eyes adjust, Seamus is lying _very _still on the ground and a blond kid is standing above him looking down at me.

My breath catches in my throat as I slowly realize who it is.

"Merlin, that felt good!" Draco's voice comes from the assailant's mouth, confirming my fears.

I scramble up onto my feet and rush over to Seamus, "Seamus!"

He's out cold.

"What's wrong with you, _Malfoy_!" tears stream down my cheeks as I stare up at him.

He doesn't look the least bit sorry, which scares me, but when he sees my face he turns a little paler, "I just really wanted to do that."

I stand up and face him, tears flooding down my cheeks, "Really wanted to do what exactly?" I yell at him, "You wanted to punch Seamus! Why? You knocked him out! Why would you do that?"

He looks shocked that I am angry with him, but he stays silent.

I wait for a moment, then yell again, "Well! Why?"

"I- I don't know."

"That is _not _an acceptable reason to punch Seamus!" I yell, ready to punch him myself, he takes a step backward, "_You _have to help me get him up to the castle, you _prick_!"

For a moment he looks taken aback, but then he straightens up, "Well, what were you doing with _him_?"

He spits out the word _him _as if to be Seamus is the worst punishment possible.

"Me? I was _enjoying _myself! I have a right to! I was trying to forget everything you've done in the last week! And you just had to show up and _ruin _it for me!"

"You can still enjoy yourself..." He says shyly, running a hand through his hair.

"What?" I ask, utterly confused.

He swipes the air with his hand, as if erasing the idea.

"Tell me why you did it, and then help me carry him up to the castle, and I _won't_ tell Madam Pomfrey who hit him," I say very seriously.

He looks thoughtful for a moment, like he's taking the idea under consideration.

"I don't have anything to go on that'll tell me that he won't tell..."

"Other than the fact that the first thing coming out of my mouth when I get there, if you have not told me why _and_ helped me get him up there, will be who did it. And, unlike him," I say pointing to Seamus, "I know _exactly _who did it."

He ponders it again, then nods, "Fine."

I look at him expectantly.

"Oh... You want it now?"

I nod.

"Like I said, I don't know exactly what I was doing."

"You _pompous liar_, you knew _exactly_ what you were doing! And why!"

He pauses for a little before starting over, "I- I can't tell you."

"You _have _to."

"I guess I din-ik-een-m-ll-or-ou," he rushes the last seven words so I can't understand.

"Last chance, Malfoy."

"I didn't like seeing him all over you!"

I stand there silently staring at him.

"Help me get him up to the castle," I say turning away from him and back to Seamus, who was slowly coming back.

"Hey Seamus," I whisper to him.

He looks up at me and smiles, then brings a hand to his head, "Firewhiskey and fists are not a good mix..."

I laugh, "I agree. It'll be even _more _fun in the morning! Let me help you up."

I take his arm and help him up. He stumbles and I catch him, but his weight almost knocks me down, so, Draco comes over and puts Seamus' arm around his shoulder.

Seamus looks over at Draco, then turns back to me and, in a very slurred voice, asks, "What is Malfoy doing here?"

"He, um... Was in the neighbourhood, and I told him to help or I would blame the whole thing on him. So, he's helping."

Seamus smiles.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Hello everybody! Wow, I am sorry about the wait (for those of you that have been waiting)! Here is another chapter you all of you people out there! Please, please, please, please, please REVIEW!**

**gotalife**

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Chapter Seventeen

When we reach the doors of the hospital wing, I unwrap Seamus' arm from my shoulder and give all of his weight to Draco, then go to the door and pull it open for Draco to walk through with Seamus. He walks through and I follow them in, closing the door behind me as lightly as I can.

When she hears us, Madam Pomfrey comes rushing out of her office and races toward us.

"What happened to him?" she asks when she sees the bruise forming on his cheek.

"Uh... mmm..." Draco stammers.

"He- uh- had a run in with a mugger, kind of."

She looks at me suspiciously, "What _exactly _happened? Walk me through it, while we walk him over to that bed," she says pointing in the direction of one of the hospital beds on the opposite end of the room.

I take Seamus' arm again before we walk over to the bed and gently lay him down. Turning back to Draco, as he runs his hand through his hair, I notice slight bruises forming on his knuckles. While Madam Pomfrey's back is toward us, I wave my hand at him and motion for him to put it in his pocket. He takes the hint and slips his hand into his pocket.

"So, what happened out there?" she asks without turning away from Seamus.

"Umm... Well, me and Seamus... Seamus and I, were... hanging out in Hogsmeade and this random guy just comes out of nowhere, knocks me down and takes a swing at Seamus. I tried to go after the guy, but he was gone, so I rushed over to Seamus- who was unconscious- and tried to wake him up. Then Malfoy, here, came by and I... er... convinced him to help me get Seamus up here."

I thought I did a pretty good job explaining without getting anyone in trouble, but Madam Pomfrey turns away from Seamus to face us. She looks us both up and down, then notices that only one of Draco's hands are in his pocket.

"Let me see your hand, boy," she says while reaching her hand out in the direction of his pocketed hand.

He glances sideways at me, before slowly extracting his hand from his pocket and showing it to Madam Pomfrey.

She studies it for a moment before saying, "You need to bandage that up," then pulling him- by his hand, so he winced- over to a worktable with wraps and bandage materials littered around its surface.

She lifts his hand- none too gingerly- and picks up one of the wrap materials, then, pinching one end to his hand, wraps it around his bruised knuckles. Then, she pulls him back over to where I am standing over Seamus.

"Now this time," she says pointing at both me and Draco, "I want the real story."

I try to think of the real story in my head, but the adrenaline from the last hour is kind of wearing off and the effects of the alcohol are starting to kick in. In other words, a massive headache was just beginning to appear.

"I- uhmm..." I try to form a cohesive sentence, but it doesn't work out too well.

Draco stares at me for a moment, as if trying to figure out how much I had drunk, then he turns toward Madam Pomfrey, "It was me that punched him."

She doesn't look surprised, "And _why _would you do that?"

"I don't know."

"Did you also knock her down?" she asks nodding toward me.

He looks down at the ground, "Yeah, I did."

She glares at him for a moment before turning to me, "And, for some reason, you decided it was necessary to protect him?"

"No!" I say, a little too defensively.

Next to me, Draco lifts his eyes from the floor and glances at me, then turns his attention back to Madam Pomfrey.

"Well, then, someone else must have been trying to hide the truth from me!" she searches around us with her eyes, trying to find the person she was talking about.

When nothing turns up, she fixes her gaze back on me, "As I thought, just you."

I say nothing.

"Mister Finnigan will say here tonight, he did not get a concussion so he will be fine. Though he may turn up a nice purple bruise on his cheek," she smiles, as if the thought makes her happy, "In the meantime, the two of you will leave. And, Mister Malfoy, I do not want to hear that you have punched anyone else. Come and collect Mister Finnigan in the morning, please. Now leave," she makes sweeping motions toward the doors for us to leave.

On our way out, my steps get a little wobbly, but Draco keeps me from falling so we don't get in anymore trouble.

Once the doors have closed behind us, Draco turns toward me, "How many drinks did you have?"

He sounds kind of angry, but surprisingly, mostly concerned.

When I don't answer, he continues, "You shouldn't drink so much! Maybe you should try sticking to butterbeers for a while!"

"Butterbeers 're too sweet..."

He looks sad for a moment, "I thought you only drink firewhiskey when you're upset..."

"Who said I wa'nt?"

"No one, I guess," he looks expectant, as if he's expecting me to tell him what I am upset about.

For once, I decide to indulge him, "You, you prick."

"What about me?" He looks genuinely confused, his eyes are even blue- like they are when he shows emotions.

Nonetheless, I roll my eyes and walk down the hall.

Draco hesitates before running after me, "What about me?" he asks again.

I ignore him and keep walking.

"What about me, Andi?"

I stop and he almost walks into me, I ignore it and turn around to face him, "You! Why do _you_ care so much?"

"I- Who says I do?"

"What other explanation is there?"

"For what?"

"For you coming after me!"

"What? I..."

"Exactly."

We both stare silently at one another.

"Why did you punch him?" I ask quietly.

He takes a second before responding, "I didn't like seeing him all over you."

For a second, I'm shocked. Then I regain my composure, "_I _started it. _I_ asked _him_ to come with me. And, _I_ kissed _him_."

He doesn't look completely surprised to hear that, "Are you two going out together now, then?"

"Why does it matter? You punched him, and you shouldn't have."

"Why did you kiss him then? If you saw me there..."

"It doesn't matter if I saw you there! _You_ are not in charge of _my_ actions!"

"Did you kiss him because you fancy him?"

"Again, does it really matter?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

"I already told you!"

"No, then! No, I don't!"

"Then, _why_?"

"Hermione suggested I try to take my mind off things!"

"Of course she did! And, why him? Why not..."

"Why not, what? Why not _you_? Is that what you were going to say? Because _you_ were wrapped around the arms of Pansy Parkinson! That's why! I chose _him_ because I was trying to forget _YOU_!" With that I storm up the stairs to Gryffindor's common room as fast as I can, leaving him behind to think.

Right after breakfast, Hermione and I walk over to the hospital wing to "collect" Seamus. When we arrive, Madam Pomfrey meets us at the doors.

"He was already checked out, ladies."

Both of us looked at her in confusion, finally, Hermione speaks up, "Who did you let do that?"

"Mister Malfoy came by this morning and checked him out."

"What?" Hermione and I semi-shout at the same time.

"_Why _would you let him do that?" I continue.

"Because he was here to check him out," she says nonchalantly, then waves for us to leave.

Hermione and I turn and storm out of the hospital wing.

"Why would he do that?"

"Why do we even need to check people out?"

"Why is it okay for Malfoy to check Seamus out?"

All I do is voice my thoughts on the way back up to the common room to find Seamus.

"So, you're back to calling him Malfoy?" Hermione asks, picking up on my choice of words.

"What?... No... I don't know... As if it matters..."

As we near the common room, we can see Seamus standing outside the entrance talking- none too friendly-like- to Draco. When they see us coming, both stop talking, and take a long glance at us- though I have a strange feeling that neither of them know Hermione is with me. Then, Draco walks off in the opposite direction, leaving Seamus to rest against the wall and wait for us to arrive.

"Hey Hermione," he says when we reach him, for some reason totally ignoring me.

"Hey Seamus," she answers.

I wait a moment for him to say something to me, then give up.

"Hi, Seamus," I say in a voice that must have sounded very peeved because Hermione flashes me a look as I talk.

He glances over at me, but says nothing, then looks back to Hermione, "I was checked out by Malfoy. He said he needed to talk to me for some reasons... and... um... yeah."

"He needed to talk to you? What about?" Hermione asks cautiously.

"Uhmm..." He glances sideways at me then back to Hermione, as if it was a very _special _look.

I sigh audibly.

"Fine. Be that way, arse. Hermione, I'll be elsewhere," I say before walking off down the hall the same direction as Draco.

As I pass the _first _corridor, just fifteen feet down the hall, I see Draco leaning casually against the wall.

At first, I walk by him. But, as I pass, I see a sneer on his lips- which, of course, infuriates me. I spin around and march over to where he is standing.

"What the _hell_ did you do?" I spit.

He takes a moment to compose himself, and laugh darkly, before answering, "Whatever do you mean?"

"What the hell, Malfoy! Give me a straight answer for once!"

A shadow crosses his face, along with the blue-grey eyes I have grown to enjoy seeing, but it disappears quickly- leaving his cold, harsh, ice-grey eyed exterior.

"I don't know what you're talking about. There are so _many_ things I have done recently."

I know I shouldn't have fallen for the bait, but I can't help it, "Like what?" I ask, still spitting through my teeth.

"Well, for instance, last night," he pauses- for dramatic effect, probably, "I had a guest. You remember her, right? Pansy Parkinson."

I try to remain impassive as I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat, "I don't care about all of the girls that have visited your room. I want to know what you told Seamus."

"Oh, that! Nothing really," he smiles.

"Fine. Ruin everything, then. See if I care. See if I give a toss,what happens to you. _And_, let's see what happens when I tell Seamus I'm ready."

I really don't know what I mean by that...

He suddenly loses part of his composure, "Ready... for what?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," I smile before turning down the hall, I turn back to him- only to see his ice-grey eyes back in place, "You're a lot like your dad."

That sure rocked his boat, everything about the composure he was attempting collapses, "I am _nothing _like him. Just like you are _nothing_ like yours."

I walk back to him, "I am more like him than you would ever like to know."

He shakes his head, "No you're not. And, you know it."

"Why won't you let me walk away?"

"You turned back to me."

"I don't mean just now. I mean every single time this happens. Why won't you let me walk away?"

"Because I can't. Because... I just can't."

"You can't? You _have _to. Before I give up and walk away myself," this is some strange crap we're saying...

"Why do you have to give up? Why do I have to let go?"

"Because- my parents actually taught me something... people like _us_, are not supposed to be around each other. We are supposed to be in our own separate places in the world. Otherwise someone always gets hurt."

"What if the people being hurt are the two people involved? What if they are being hurt by letting go?"

I feel like changing the subject, so I do, "What did you tell him to make him ignore me?"

He looks confused for a moment at the sudden change of subject, "I told him that you need someone that wants you as much as you want them. That he can't be hooked to you forever."

"He wouldn't stop talking to me because of that."

"Maybe I said some extra things, but you get the jist of it," he smiles- a very real smile.

My heart lurches forward, to him. I still don't understand it, but I think I am beginning to.

"You have to tell me, right now, what do you want?"

"I want a lot of things."

"What do you want from _me_?"

"I want a lot of things..."

He pauses, and I don't interrupt, I just wait for him to continue.

"Most of all, I want _you_ back."

My heart is jumping around in my chest- still don't know why- and my breath catches.

"I... don't really understand," I say after a while.

"However possible, I want you back in my life."


End file.
